When Night Will Steal You Away (Labyrinth FanFic)
by MelodiousDreaming
Summary: JarethxOC June's life is in for a whirlwind of changes... Not your usual Labyrinth fan-fiction
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

_ Winter Break's in two days. TWO days! Every last inch of me wants out of this school, the unflattering fluorescent lighting, the monotonous tones of teachers who no longer care, I can't take one more second of it. Senior year could not be going any slower. The only thing I have to look forward to is the next week off and the fact that I'll be 18 in less than 4 days._

"Earth to June, reality calling on line one!"

_Crap…pay attention June_

"Seriously, did you even hear one word I said!?" I'd been lost in my thoughts but judging by how irritated Marie was I had a decent guess.

"Yeah, you were talking about Kevin" I said blankly. Marie sighed and started up again.

"So like, I dunno what to do. He says he loves me and all but it's only when we're having sex, and don't even get me started on the sex. God, does he realize there are more than two positions in existence?"

It wasn't really a question so I didn't bother to answer and it's not like I could give any advice on the subject. The only thing I'd ever done was made out…and not well, by no fault of my own I like to think. This guy, Alex Tomlin, asked me out over the summer and at the end of our first date he kissed me. Now, I've never actually had a dead fish in my mouth but I'm pretty sure that it's similar to kissing Alex. His lips were uncomfortably dry and when he slid his tongue into my mouth it was like a cold fish flopping around, dying for lack of water. I dated him for a couple weeks anyway, for company more than anything. He was dimwitted and an ass and we already determined that he was a lousy kisser. In fact, he was pretty lousy at everything. He tried to feel me up once in his car and somehow managed to elbow me in the ribs. Anyway, that's when he ended it, apparently I was a "prude" because I wouldn't doing anything more than kiss him.

"Oh my gosh, do you have that Kama Sutra book?" She leaned in and excitedly whispered the question.

"Why would I have the Kama Sutra?" She snapped her fingers a couple times as if to get my attention

"Okay, learn to listen, honey. The book store…where you work…" she talked slow and deliberate "do you guys have a copy of it there? I could totally give it to him as a Christmas present or something."

"Oh, uh…I don't know if we really carry stuff like that. I mean we have old books you know, antiques and such. And I don't know if the Kama Sutra is really the sort of thing Cal would carry. You'd have better luck getting it off the internet."

"Oh right… So uh…you shack up with boss yet then?" She waggled her eyebrows. "I mean, you call him _Cal_ and I've seen him before, that man is hotter than Brad Pit! Not to mention the way he looks at you." Her eyes got all dreamy and she mock fanned herself.

"You know, I don't see the big deal about Brad Pit… he's not that attractive…okay, well he is attractive but there are way cuter actors out there in my opinion."

"June, you can't change the subject on me. I'm relentless remember, and my brain is wired to think about sexy men. If he stared at me the way he does at you, I'd have thrown him down and rode him right on the spot."

"Ookay, well on that note I think I'm going to actually use Study Hall to, you know, _study_."

"Yeah right! I don't think I've _ever_ seen you study and we've been friends since 8th grade. Sheesh, how do you manage to get such good grades." She had a point; even now I was staring at my notebook which was filled with doodles and sketches rather than actual notes. "Okay okay, fine, you win, new subject. Did you see Haley earlier? I heard she has a huuuge knot on her forehead and you are not going to believe how she got it!" I tuned out

_ Callum Grey had been my boss for nearly a year now. He'd inherited the store years ago when his Grandfather passed away. He was 26, I'd guess around 5' 11, lean but very well built from working out. He had dark black hair that always seemed to hang over one eyebrow daring me to go stroke it off his face just to feel how soft it is. His skin had a natural light olive tone to it and he had a strong jaw with smooth beautiful features. Marie wasn't lying when she said he was gorgeous. He paid pretty well too and my job was fairly simple. Working with customers, running the register, shelving books, sometimes I managed the online orders and packed up the books to be shipped. Other times I just read, which I loved, especially with the array of books he had there. A lot of them were first editions so I tended to stay away from them, my pay check may have been good but not nearly heavy enough to pay for one of those books. But I loved reading the classics and I loved seeing some of the odd books that happened into the store. Dracula was a favorite and one I was currently reading again at his shop. The last chapter was waiting for me and I was eager to finish it even though I knew what the ending would hold. _

The bell rang snapping me out of my daze only to find that I had doodled and entire page of owls.

"Cute birds but uh, you still gonna design a tattoo for me?" Marie asked as we gathered up our things and headed out the door. "I was thinking about getting it on my butt or maybe like really small right above my breast? What do you think?"

"How about I do a picture of your favorite Kama Sutra position on your lower back, you know, tramp stamp, I hear it's all the rage these days. Oh, and then Kevin could just look at it in case he needed a reference to figure out how to do it."

"Not funny." She snorted and we laughed for a while anyway

Classes went slow as usual. I was given a project in art, which happened to be pretty much the only class I more than tolerated. I would go so far as to say I enjoyed the class. The idea was to sketch or paint your idea of the perfect man or woman. It was a fairly simple assignment and it wasn't due until after Winter break so I wasn't really worried about getting started. Instead I drew a rather detailed sketch of two lovers in the throes of passion, folded the paper and stuffed it in my pocket to give to Marie later knowing knew she'd get a kick out of it.

On the way to my car I got a text from Marie saying she was catching a ride with Kevin and she'd call later. Going home was the last thing I wanted to do, My Father and Stepmother were growing more unbearable by the minute, but they were leaving for their cruise tomorrow so that was some much needed good news. Plus I knew they wouldn't want me around to get in their way while they packed. But the great thing was, and I couldn't have planned it better myself, they would be gone for the entire Winter break! I had the house to myself. No chores, not getting screamed at and belittled by my step Mom, I was free for a whole week. Sure they'd miss Christmas but I wasn't so worried about that. We were planning to celebrate when they got back and opening presents didn't really appeal to me much anyway. I decided that I'd just go into work early; I didn't think Cal would mind.

I could hear Cal moving around upstairs where his little apartment was, I'd never been up there so I guess I couldn't really say it was little for sure but the bookstore wasn't that big; a modest size but nothing grand. I set my sketchbook down on a shelf under the counter in case inspiration sprung for my "perfect man" and reached up into the air as I groaned and stretched.

"Tired?" Cal came through the curtain to the back room where a set of steps led upstairs. Suddenly I felt a little self conscious, my little gray t-shirt had rose above my bellybutton as I stretched and I quickly lowered my arms and pulled it back into place.

"Just tired of sitting around in class all day, ready for break…you know, so I can sit around the house all day haha"

"Oh I'm sure you'll have something better to do than sit around"

"Eh, maybe" I shrugged "But I'm kind of looking forward to just relaxing for once."

"Do I really work you that hard?" He raised an eyebrow "I don't recall asking you to come in early."

"Oh no, I didn't mean it that way… I just meant from school and my parents you know…just…okay, shutting up now, sorry"

"Parents?"

"Yeah, they're leaving for the break so I finally have some time to myself."

"That's…odd, what are you doing for your birthday…for Christmas?"

"Um…making myself some dinner and eating in front of the TV?"

"No"

"What do you mean 'No' I think it sounds like a pretty good plan"

"I mean just what I said, No, you are having dinner with me" I opened my mouth to argue but the phone rang and he pointed at it expectantly, I heaved a sigh and answered 'Grey's antique books store'

I was busier than I thought I'd be and never touched my sketchbook. There were a large amount of books that had come in and I had the rather boring job of cataloging and shelving them. I was sitting cross-legged on the floor in the back room surrounded by books when something small and red caught my eye. It was a small book; 'The Labyrinth' was pressed into the leather. It wasn't very thick and it seemed peculiar looking, I stared at it for a long time before opening it. I shuffled though the pages, it was hand written rather than printed. I imagined this must be the journal of a writer or something of the sort but there was no Author name. I browsed over the first few pages, it was very strange and I couldn't stop reading.

_Goblin King… Goblin King…_

"Need some help? " He saw me intently eyeing the book. "Find something good?" Grey moved some books over and sat beside me, he was so close his arm was brushing mine.

"It doesn't say who it's by, somebody's idea of a Fairy Tale maybe?"

"You look like you're enjoying it." He reached over and took a look at the book. "This wasn't supposed to be with the lot of books, must have been mixed in by accident."

"Well I think maybe it was stuffed inside another book 'cause I didn't notice it when I first took the books out of the boxes." He tossed it back to me; I snatched it out of the air and held it to my chest for a moment. Cal watched and smiled.

"You can keep it."

"What? No I couldn't, I mean it looks so old, I'm sure it's worth something, way more than I could afford anyway." I tried to hand it back. He held up his hands and shook his head back and forth.

"Nope, just consider it an early Christmas present."

"Really!? Thank you Cal." I hadn't smiled like that in a long time and I wondered why a silly book would make me smile this way, or was it because Cal had given it to me? I leaned over and hugged him without thinking, I felt his arms wrap around me, he rubbed my back lightly and I shivered at the feel of his breath on my neck. And then, for a second, it felt like we both stopped breathing. I pulled away quickly, breaking the rhythm of his hand rubbing circles on my back and stood up so fast that I nearly fell back over. He put his hand on my hip to steady me and stood up too. Then he just stared at me, I felt like there was some big spotlight on me and I didn't like it. "It's getting really late" I glanced at the clock ticking on the wall "I was supposed to be home an hour ago, they're going to kill me." My shoulders slumped a little and I went to grab my sketchbook and leave. Cal was very quiet. "Sorry, I'll see you later"

"Yeah…" he waved awkwardly and locked the door behind me after I went.

I drove home slow; I knew I'd be in big trouble. My curfew was really at 11 but it stretched to 12 on work nights because cataloging and such was usually done after the store closed. It was 1:32 when I pulled into the driveway. All the lights were off which was a good sign but as soon as I got in the house and shut the door I heard footsteps approach, I braced myself.

"Do you know what time it is!?" Lovely old Step Mom

"1:32 last time I checked." Sure they could punish me, that might hurt a bit, but if they grounded me they wouldn't be here to make sure I followed through with their punishment over break.

"Don't you smart off to me, your Father was worried sick" I noticed she didn't say _she _was worried sick. Her voice suddenly hushed. "So help me God if you get into trouble and mess this trip up for me I'll…I'll…" I raised my eyebrow.

"You'll leave never to return again, 'cause I think I could live with that."

_Holy shit I did not just say that, did I? _

The next thing I heard was ringing; she slapped me across my cheek and half my ear. I held my ear for a second opening and closing my mouth, trying to make the ringing stop. It did a few seconds later. I knew my cheek must be flaming read, I wondered if there might be a little cut because I felt a distinct burning. I touched where it stung and saw some red on my fingers.

"What's going on…Lucy?" Dad staggered out of the hallway and looked between her and I

"I'm handling it James, June decided she wanted to go gallivanting around doing only God knows what until 1:30 in the morning."

"I got stuck at work. I'm sorry" Seems I'd lost all my courage from earlier. Suddenly I felt very tired. I listened to James and Lucy yell at me, I heard the threats in their voice but not the actual words, and all I could think of was bed. After about 20 minutes they seemed to run out of steam and wandered off to bed, I walked to the opposite side of the house where my room was and fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. I didn't even bother to take my shoes off or change out of my jeans and t-shirt.

_ Goblin King…Goblin King…_

_The dream seemed foggy, distant, I felt like I was floating down a river. I felt hot, too hot. And then there was a creak…a creak? My eyes fluttered open and I squinted, scanning my room. Nothing. I was sweating and my room felt like it was a hundred degrees. I fumbled my way to the window and opened it, standing there for a minute and reveling in the frozen breeze. I walked back to bed and stripped off my jeans and bra, falling back into bed in nothing but my shirt and panties. I kicked away the covers and let myself fade back into the darkness. A small thought lingered before I was completely unconscious._

_What's a Goblin King look like anyway?_

Morning came, I heard my parents loading up the car, heard the door slam shut and the car drive away.

"Yeah, goodbye to you too…"

I got up to close the window seeing as I could hardly feel my feet it was so cold. I pulled the window shut tight and then saw my sketchbook on the floor where I'd thrown it last night. I picked it up not really knowing what I was going to do and then I started making lines, curves, things that took shape. Strong features, powerful deep set eyes, soft lips, long beautiful hair. But those eyes, that's what got me. And among it all, feathers encircling the bust of this glorious man I'd never even realized I was drawing until I was finished. I stared at it for a long time before setting it gently on my bed where that little red book lay half underneath my pillow.

_Guess I finished my Art project early. _Somehow this man seemed perfect.

_Goblin King…_

I laughed out loud "Goblin King" and there it was, I'd made up my mind that this was the Goblin King, a character from that strange little book about twists and turns and mythical things in his kingdom. About his nature and morals, however questionable they may be. This picture before me seemed to fit perfectly. Because though he was handsome there was something in his features, something sinister, mysterious, and inhuman even.

I caught a glimpse of the digital clock on my bedside table, it was 10:00, I was so late and I didn't even care. I took my time in the shower, bringing back warmth to my numb toes and fingers. I shouldn't have left my window open like that. I'm lucky I didn't freeze to death. When I finally sauntered into school it was lunch time and Marie was sitting with Kevin at our usual table. Marie's eyes got big for a second then she grabbed my arm and pulled me down to sit beside her.

"Geez, what happened?" She was looking at my cheek; I hadn't thought it was very bad when I woke up. She saw my quizzical gaze and dug in her purse for a compact mirror, I was a little surprised at what I saw. There was a little cut but apparently what had been a very light bruise this morning was now very purple and very noticeable. "So what happened!?"

"Oh…uh…I came home late." I knew there was no point in lying to her, she was my best friend and she knew how my parents could be.

"Gah, June, I'm so sorry!"

"Let's just forget about it okay, if anyone asks I was an uber dork and slipped in the shower or something."

"Wow, okay you should really come up with a cooler excuse than that or people are going to think you're special." Kevin was chuckling as he said this.

I made it through school with my stupid excuse and no one asked questions, not that they cared whether I was lying or not anyway. I spent most the rest of my period scanning through my little book. The teachers were eager for break as much as we were and no one was really doing anything. There was very little teaching being done and lots of talking or snoring from the students. I went to work early again and got an even worse reaction from Cal than I'd gotten from Marie. This isn't the first time one of my parents has hit me and it certainly wasn't the worst but usually when something like this happened it wasn't in a place that was so visible. Not that it happened a lot, it's not like they beat me on a regular basis but they were known to lose their temper now and then. I stopped saying things were unfair a long time ago, cause that's just how life goes, it may suck and it may be unfair but there's always someone out there who has it worse and by most standards I had it pretty good. I couldn't really complain…well I could but I didn't anyway. My Mum died a few years ago, I had a great life up until then, it was only in the last few years that my Dad lost it and married the bitch. That's when it started, he'd lose his temper, she'd blame things on me, she hated me for some reason, and so it didn't seem like a bad thing to them when they lost their temper. They wanted to believe I deserved it, like it was no big deal.

Cal crossed the distance between us in what seemed like seconds. I looked at the floor quickly and he took my chin lightly, forcing me to look at him. "What happened, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a klutz." He frowned at me

"It looks like a handprint." I tried to laugh when he said that but it didn't sound normal, it sounded strained and awkward.

"More like part of my bathtub, I slipped in the shower."

"And got scratched too?"

"Guess so…" I pushed past him and put my things behind the counter, keeping my back to him, making it obvious that I didn't want to talk about it. I worked for some time while Cal fumed in the back room, or at least that's what it seemed like he was doing, he'd peek out and check on me now and then, then start pacing. Finally he settled down, the store closed, and we both started working on the pile of books in the back.

"Do you need to go home? I mean, are you going to be late?"

"My parents left this morning, it wasn't even that big a deal last night, I just told them I got caught up here."

"Sure..." Call muttered and we worked in silence for a while longer until finally I noticed him smirking to himself.

"What?" I asked cautiously.

"Oh, nothing, I just found something interesting on the floor yesterday"

"Ookay, well, what was it?" I was genuinely puzzled

"A rather detailed, intricate drawing…" He paused to grin wickedly at me. I just stared at him completely confused for a minute and then it hit me.

_Oh no…oh no no no. The drawing for Marie, It was in my pocket yester day. NO, SHIT! _

By the look on my face he knew I'd realized what he was talking about.

"No" I choked the word out and his smile grew devious

"Oh Yes, I found it rather… well, it was interesting, do you think he looks a little like me?" He pulled out the sketch and dangled it in front of me. I lunged for it and he rolled out of the way laughing so hard he had to stay there on the floor. I scrambled over and tried to grab it, he held it above his head away from me until I was practically crawling up him trying to grab it.

"This is not funny Cal, you give that back right now!"

"So I'm curious as to why you are drawing such things, is this from your imagination or…" I grew furious

"It's a joke between a friend and I and absolutely NONE of YOUR business!" I tried to get up and off of him but his arm circled my waist and held me close to him, he was still lying on his back, our lips were mere inches apart. His other hand dropped the picture to the floor and brushed the hair off my cheek that was now throbbing in time with my heartbeat. I squirmed a little.

"Sorry, it's just…that's some drawing." He chuckled a little then lightly touched my cheek. It stung and I turned away more instinctively rather than from pain. "You're parents do this to you?" I didn't say anything, I didn't even look at him, I just kind of collapsed into his chest and rested my unscathed cheek on his chest, he held me there, brushing his fingers through my long, dark hair. "Is this the first time?" I wondered if I should say anything, it felt so nice to be here like this with him.

"…It's not as bad as it used to be"

"Geez June!" He blew out a hard breathe into my hair and kissed the top of my head "How come you never said anything? And it's not as bad as it used to be! This looks pretty nasty, how bad did it _used_ to be?" I didn't want to say anything. I wasn't sure he even expected me to answer.

"I'm fine"

"None of this is fine, they can't do that to you"

"Stop, just stop, it's not so bad really. Can we please just change the subject?" I started to lift myself up and he followed, pulling me back down to sit in his lap, almost cradled to him. "This is…awkward." He laughed, pretty hard actually.

"Then I suppose it can't hurt much if I do this…" He looked at me and before I could realize what he had planned, his lips hit mine and I couldn't think anymore, I knew this wasn't right but it _felt_ right so I leaned in, ran my hands through his spectacular hair and the kiss deepened. His hands came up my back and pulled me tight against him and by this time we were both panting and instead of being in his lap my knees were on either side of him and even though I already knew he was as excited as I was, I could _feel_ it too. My face grew hot and suddenly I felt self conscious and pulled away to sit on my own in front of him. He let me this time. His face was red too and he just sat there for a second looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words. Luckily we were saved from more of this awkward silence when the bell at the front door rang letting us know someone had entered.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I lay in bed, staring into those strange eyes, merely paper staring back. Something about him enamored me…this "Goblin King"…

_My Goblin King…_

But he wasn't mine, I may have pulled him from the book's pages and given him a face but someone wrote him into existence a long time ago. And still, I stroked my pencil etchings softly, on one hand content with what I'd created, the other, longing to meet him, a character from a story book. A character so detailed, so complex in every way; a "Kingdom" rolling between his finger and hands like those magical spheres he toyed with so often, a sadness of sorts around him, longing too. I imagined us kindred spirits, so alike, and yet so different that I could never begin to touch the depth of the mind that thought him up and placed him here for me; so neatly between these lovely, old, pages.

I hadn't gone into work yet today, still confused and embarrassed about what had happened between Cal and I. I was lucky that Marie had shown up when she did, she saved me from an endlessly awkward encounter that I knew, even though I was doing a spot on job of avoiding it, I'd have to face sooner or later. I picked up my pillow and smashed it against my face, groaning at the mess that had been made. But today I would ignore the rest of the world relentlessly.

_Tomorrow you'll be 18 and things will…_

_What will they do? _

_Change? _

_You can't be so naïve to think that becoming one year older is some sort of magic carpet ride out of everything you hate June!_

_There _are_ so many things I seem to dislike._

My inner dialogue rambled on and off for some time before it sent me slipping off into a not-so-restful sleep.

I dreamt strange designs. Walls were crissing and crossing, hedges sprouted up before me; tall and daunting, and I couldn't stop running. But was I running _from _something or _to_ something? I could hear the distant voices of my parents behind me. Marie too, telling me over and over, echoing in my head, _Snap out of it June. Pay attention June. Listen to me June. Where are you going, June?_ It was never ending, no breath between the words while a repetitive SNAP SNAP SNAP of her fingers rattled in my brain.

I ran faster, looking for a way to go, any way, and just as I rounded the only corner that seemed to lead me out of this dark place I found myself staring at a dead end and the back of Cal's head. As he turned to face me my heart jumped with fear. He embraced me, squeezing so tight I felt as though my ribs would crack and my lungs would burst. I shut my eyes tight and before I knew it, just like that, it all fell away from me and I was alone in a dark place, staring into a large crystal sphere floating like a beacon in the night. Almost blinding at first, I neared it cautiously, making out faint shapes twisting and turning inside, music lingering too far away in my ears. _"Goblin…King…"_ my words were like a knife through the air yet soft like the flutter of wings. _"Goblin King…."_ And just as my fingers were about to brush the cool, slick surface of that sphere I woke to a dozen missed calls and found that the day had turned to night.

I was so tired I felt drugged, the whole day that I'd had strict plans for ignoring people and being lazy had been wasted…or accomplished depending on how you looked at it. I checked my messages, the first three were Maria asking me why I'm not answering, the next few were her getting angry and worried and saying she was going to come by. _I must not have heard the door._ The next one, however, was from my Dad giving me strict instructions and rules about the house and how no one was supposed to set foot inside other than myself of course. Which, actually, almost surprised me, he sure did know how to make me feel welcome in my own home. I started the last message, Maria again, freaking out so much I could hardly understand, something about going to the book store to see if I was there and if not she was going to call the cops or something. Not like that would do any good. I hadn't even been "missing" for 24 hours. The call was recent so I hoped I could catch her before she went to the trouble. Right as I was dialing I heard frantic banging at the door.

"Marie, I appreciate all the concern but be careful or I'll start to think you're getting clingy!" I yelled as I made my way to the door. "Seriously Mar, I hope this isn't what you do to Kevin when he doesn't answer his ph…." I'd swung open the door to see, not Marie, but Cal instead. He was sporting a mixture of emotion on his face, worry and frustration being the main two I caught.

"Are you okay!?" He asked as he barged in, glancing around the house as if maybe there was an assailant hiding somewhere.

"Um, firstly, hellooo….please, do come in. Secondly, are _you_ okay? You seem a little on edge." _That's an understatement _

"Marie called the shop and told me how you were gone and no one could find you or get a hold of you."

He seemed a little embarrassed seeing that I was clearly okay.

"Marie tends to overreact sometimes, but it's my fault really, I uh, wasn't feeling well, I just woke up…" Just as I said that I realized, as both Cal and myself looked down, that I'd neglected to put pants on. _Oh God, I'm talking to Cal and I'm in my undies!_ He tried to control a giggle as I scrambled off to my bedroom to find pants…and maybe a rock to hide under.

"I'm sorry to just barge in like that" he said approaching my bedroom where I hurriedly pulled some jeans on, almost falling in the process. "It's just, you didn't come to work either and it's not like you to well…not come in, to not even call…I thought maybe it had something to do with…" His arm shot up and behind him, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Anyway, you're okay, so that's good." He just stood there staring uncomfortably.

"Yeah I'm sorry about not coming in, like I said I was sick and just kind of zonked out." He crossed through the door frame and closed the distance between us, pressing his hand to my forehead. "Uh…"

"You don't feel too warm, what are your symptoms? Here, sit down." He nudged me to the bed.

I took a seat and he did the same beside me. "I, well, it's not really that kind of sick, I was just really exhausted and I don't know, I just felt really run down but I'm totally fine now so you honestly don't have to worry. I slept so I'm feeling better already" he looked skeptical "honest, I think I just needed to get caught up on sleep, I'm really okay now." We sat there in silence for a while.

"Alright." Cal said, flatly. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Oh, I don't work tomorrow, it's my..

"Birthday, right. Think I forgot eh? You have plans with me remember. No frozen dinners, as sad as it may be for you."

"Listen, Cal, I'm fine, I'm used to spending birthdays alone, besides I don't need you feeling like you have to take the poor little shelving elf out."

"Shelving elf? Really? Sometimes I think you run the store more than I do." His smirk was taunting "And this isn't a pity dinner, it's just two people celebrating a birthday… "

"Why do I feel like you're leaving something out?"

"Oh it's nothing, just one small detail… I'm taking you to The Orchid so, dress accordingly."

My mouth gaped for a few minutes "The Orchid!? You're kidding me, not only is that place ridiculously overpriced, but you practically have to wear a gown and have reservations or something!" He chuckled

"It's a special day so overpriced or not it's happening. As for the attire, you don't have to wear a _gown_, just a nice dress, and heels, no boots June." He raised an eyebrow at me, knowing those were my go-to shoe. "And don't worry about reservations, everything's taken care of, all you have to do is have a good time and eat real, non-frozen, non-overly processed food."

"Geez, you make it sound like I live on microwavable meals, I never even said I was going to eat one of those things, I don't even _like_ those. Although… I do enjoy a horrible burrito now and then, when I want to hate myself an hour later." We laughed as I walked him out

"If you need anything…you know I'm here" he said as he sauntered down the front steps. And I couldn't help but smile at him.

"Yeah, I know. Thanks Cal."And suddenly celebrating my birthday didn't seem so awful. I clicked the lock shut and headed back to my bedroom to find some comfortable pants.

After I talked with, and mostly apologized to, Marie, I found it impossible to sleep, my day long nap made sure of that so instead I flipped the TV on for some background noise, grabbed that little red book and curled up with a blanket on the couch. A lot of it didn't make sense to me, the things in that book were nearly unimaginable, and it made references that I'm sure I'd never understand, save asking the author what they meant. But I pushed on, engrossed in the kingdom and that seemingly impossible labyrinth. I read of how children were wished away to this world by parents who took them for granted or, just simply wanted rid of them, and for a moment I found myself toying with that thought. What would it be like to be wished away to that world, aside from turning into a goblin I found it almost appealing. I pictured my parents doing it, saying those words; because, truth be told, I believed deep down that they would be just fine, happier even, without me. Of course then they'd have to find someone else to take their anger out on. It didn't really matter though, because soon enough I would be leaving here one way or another, I'd been caring for myself and saving money for so long that I knew I'd be okay outside of this house, and I didn't need much anyway. But still, the thought of the Goblin King, fierce and unrelenting, and his gloriously dark and twisted kingdom haunted me. It tugged on something inside me, drawing me in, daring me to do something…but what?

I read on, curious as to how exactly one could wish another person away. It seemed so…cruel and unfair. So inhuman, but then again the Goblin King was not human and therefore had no reason to abide by any of our rules. And, he was a King after all; they tend to have their way. What seemed to strike me even more than all that was the fact that the act of wishing someone away was so simple.

_A few words! That's it? That's all it takes?_

I'd have at least thought it would take some sort of ceremony or something. Lighting candles and drinking the blood of a goat or something, that's what magic takes in movies anyway. I wondered for a moment, seeing as it was such a simple act, no rules about it really, if it were possible to wish yourself away? To get a glimpse at that world, to meet this unjust King, would the same rules apply? Somehow I didn't think so, I mean, why would anyone wish themselves away. It seemed like an action that the Goblin King himself had never witnessed.

_Why are you giving this so much thought June, it's not even real! The labyrinth does not exist, the kingdom does not exist and the Goblin King most certainly DOES NOT EXIST either!_

But the book was so detailed, so beautiful and tragic in ways I wanted to understand. And to me, it seemed like the perfect place for someone so unwanted as me, unfair and unjust as it was, because I knew that this world could be just as unfair, maybe even more so. So I continued to muse about this Goblin King. If he were so powerful why did he not do more? He could simply whisk away children that were unwanted at the parent's mere thought just as simply as he could release them when parents begged forgiveness at speaking so rashly, like the book stated so many did. He was practically alone in his kingdom, aside from the Goblins he so absolutely seemed to despise, so why not bring someone there? Why not find a Goblin Queen, surely he couldn't be the only one of his kind, the book mentioned other rulers in other kingdoms briefly, so why be so alone. The Goblin King may pretend as though he prefers to be alone, but I knew what loneliness was like, no man or goblin alike could withstand the aching that it brings.

_You're not so tough and powerful as you imagine yourself to be._ I thought. It irritated me to my core for some reason, so much so that I found myself addressing this man…or whatever he was, directly. As if he was indeed real.

"You hear that Goblin King!? You're not so tough! I bet you aren't half of what you think you are! Maybe you're cruel but I think that's a copout, I think you're just a tired old fool who has nothing better to do with his time than torment those you THINK are beneath you!" I paused for a moment, as if to let him deny it "nothing to say then? That's what I thought, you know what, _mighty_ Goblin King" I sneered thinking of just how high and mighty he saw himself as "I wish you'd take ME away so I could give you a piece of my mind. You muse about the world not being fair, well I know that more than anyone, but I'm not cruel and ruthless because of it. You're just a….a….a coward!" And suddenly my heart was beating so fast I had to catch my breath. Anger that had built up for so long was leaking out but as soon as the words had left my mouth all my bravado drained and for a moment, just a moment, I felt afraid. My heart stopped suddenly as my eyes darted around the room, and then, realizing just how foolish I was for being frightened by a storybook character, I sighed and chuckled to myself. My steadied heartbeat couldn't have lasted more than a second before it happened though. The wind outside picked up abruptly with an eerie howling as it kicked up the fresh snow that had powdered on the ground. It blew and blew until the force of it threw open the glass doors that led to our patio. The cold snapped me out of my frightened daze, snow stung my face and I scrambled to shut the doors. The wind was so harsh I felt as though my skin would blister and despite my best efforts I couldn't force the doors against the wind. As I struggled, squinting against the weather, pushing with all my might, suddenly without any warning the wind died and the door I had been pressing against swung shut with such force I was sure the glass would shatter. Thankfully, the glass was still intact and I slumped down against it, face numb and pressed against its surface while the other door still remained open. I heaved a large sigh and rose to close the other door but just as I stood, staring into the calm of the night, I saw something flash in the darkness. And there, before me on the wood of the porch, landed a pristine-white owl, its wings tipped with an otherworldly black. But nothing about it could have struck me more than the eyes; wide, haunting, and so very familiar. One gleamed light blue unlike anything I'd ever seen while the other remained so dark it was hard to separate the iris from the pupil. Seeing the two together was frightening and beautiful all wrapped up in one.

My body was still and rigid, all I could do was stare at this creature in awe and bewilderment, my thoughts lingering on the Labyrinth and the King's ability to travel this world in just such a form. But, with the blink of an eye, as if it had never been there in the first place, the owl was gone and I was staring back into the night left to wonder if I was losing my mind.

I gently shut the door, making sure to secure the lock and pull the curtains shut tight while for the rest of the night I was plagued by dreams of challenging the Goblin King with the words I'd spoken earlier.

The Owl's eyes seemed to follow me no matter where I ran, taunting me, daring me to escape what I once thought to be a beautiful place; the Labyrinth. In my dream I reached an old door, unguarded and promising, and thrust it open, running as if my life depending on it. A ticking, ticking, ticking at my back, a clock so close to its end, and as soon as the door slammed behind me and hope returned I found myself being drug down by hundreds of hands, pulling me deeper and deeper until only darkness surrounded me. And there it was again, that huge glowing sphere, though now…now I wasn't so eager to approach it, fearing what tricks I was certain it held.

The day of my birthday had arrived, I rose around two o'clock wondering if what happened last night was part of my dream. While waiting for tea to brew I flicked on the weather channel and inspected the living room. Nothing seemed out of order; the curtains were drawn back as if I'd never pulled them closed after my struggle with the doors. No news of flurries or storms were on the television, even the blanket was on the couch instead of the floor where I was sure I'd dropped it in my hurry to shut out the wind.

_I was…dreaming…or I'm going insane, maybe both. Or, maybe I scared myself a little too much with that whole Goblin King rant. _

_It was a dream, clearly a dream, because things like that do not exist and I am way too stressed out for my own good. _

The whistling of the tea pot brought me back to reality and I pressed on with the day.

Marie picked up on the first ring…

"Hey Mar, so guess what you get to do..."

"Um, beat you senseless for scaring the shit out of me last night?" she was still peeved despite all the apologizing I did.

"No, actually, you get to help me shop for a fancy dress for my birthday dinner." I didn't have to wait more than half a second for her squeals to start

"OH MY GOSH, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER!? Okay, okay," she tried to calm down, rather unsuccessfully "I'll be over in like ten minutes!" I heard one more squeal before she hung up.

We spent what felt like ages stopping in every store she could think of looking for the 'perfect dress'

"You have to be sexy, obviously, but not overly sexy since it's like a classy place. So where are we going!?"

"Oh…I'm so sorry..I thought you understood." She looked genuinely confused. "Cal invited me to the Orchid…but I'm sure it's no big deal if you come…" I trailed off

"Oh, right, duh." She was silent for some time before the conversation picked back up and before I knew it we were laughing and having fun again." I'm still so jealous that you get to go to The Orchid. Kevin will never have enough money to take me there, you're so lucky. You think you two will get frisky tonight?"

"First of all Marie, let me point out again that I don't need to look sexy because it's not a date, he's just being nice, Second of all, there will be no _getting frisky_ because, again, this is NOT a date. It's not like that with Cal and I…"

"Oh do not even try that on me, June. I know something happened between you guys at the bookstore the other night! It was written all over both of your faces…and a bit in his pants too." She gave a wicked smile that seemed almost irritated.

"Oh God" I buried my face into my palm for a second; shaking my head "it was nothing! Why didn't you say anything sooner if you knew anyway?"

"Well, I was waiting for you to tell me like a GOOD friend would have" she gave me a mock scolding look "But honestly, I was afraid that if I said something you'd just pull yourself into your little shell. So, now that you know that I know" she smiled "I want every little raunchy detail"

I filled her in on what happened, the drawing, the kiss, him insisting on dinner. In all truth, I wasn't really sure what to make of it all; obviously he had some kind of feelings for me but what exactly? And more importantly, what were my feelings for him? I hadn't the slightest idea, all I knew is that I liked the kiss but it scared me, and that he made me smile which, aside from Marie, he was the only one who could genuinely do that.

I kept trying on monstrosity after monstrosity, wanting so desperately to give up on finding a dress, but Marie would have none of that. Although even she seemed to be losing steam; I didn't like anything she picked for me and she didn't like anything that I picked out myself. Dinner time was getting closer and closer and I was growing more anxious by the second.

_What are you doing June? This is an awful idea; Cal is your BOSS, your friend…nothing more! …right?_

"I'm going to cancel!" I snapped as we were crossing the parking lot to a little boutique.

"Oh no you're not, June! Come on, one more store, they'll have something here I can feel it in my bones."

"Well they better seeing as there aren't any other stores to go to, we've exhausted our efforts Marie, let's just admit it. You and I can just spend my birthday together like always."

"Believe me, I'll be seeing you after your big date…assuming you're not hold up in his place making passionate love" she continued before I could say a word about that "I'm going to want every detail, you know that, but June, you're 18 and you've never been close to anyone other than me. Now, we all know I'm fabulous but let's face it, you're….well….you're lonely. You're sad and I can see it, but when you're at that bookstore with Cal it's like I don't even recognize you and I mean that in a good way. You smile and laugh, June! All the time when you are there, you just look happier." She stopped, a sad look on her face before trying to read me.

"That's got a lot to do with the books and less to do with Cal, Mar."

"Who are you trying to convince Hun, you or me?" She asked softly, and with that we entered the quaint little dress shop in silence. Everything there suggested elegance. The dresses were so beautiful I was almost afraid to try them on.

Marie and I laid eyes on it at the same time, the 'perfect dress'. I guess her bones were right after all. I gingerly slipped into it avoiding the mirror in the curtained dressing room. The fit was perfect, smooth against my curves but not so tight that I couldn't breathe. The fabric was silk, a deep and jewel like green that seemed to match my eyes perfectly, with an overlay of lace in the same color. The lace's pattern reminded me of ivy almost, giving the dress an earthy, nature feel. It was sleeveless, dipping low enough to show just the very top of my breasts and cleavage giving it just enough to make me feel sophisticated and sexy at the same time, while the hemline ended right above my knees. There was a matching pair of pumps too. As I stepped out of the dressing room I didn't have to look in the mirror to know this was the dress, Marie's face said it all. Her jaw dropped and she just gaped in silence which is not something she does often. Marie always has something to say, always. And then, my breath caught as I looked at myself, never had I considered myself to be a 'beautiful' girl really but now, staring at myself in this dress I felt truly amazing.

As Marie was finishing putting my hair up to show of the lace back on the dress my feelings of beauty were quickly stifled out and replaced by an overwhelming anxiety.

"I see Cal almost every day, why am I so nervous?"

"Because you know as well as I do that this is not like every other day with him, June." The blood felt as though it drained from my face. Seeing the panic form, Marie quickly added. "But you're right, I mean you see him all the time, you know him and you have no reason to be nervous. You're going to have a blast and you deserve too! I don't know anyone who deserves a fun night more than you." Her words eased my nerves a little but I could steel feel the churning in the pit of my stomach. The feeling only increased when the doorbell rang. Marie let a squeak out and ran to answer the door while I just stood there, staring blankly into the mirror

_What is he going to think of me in this dress? I don't think he's ever seen me in anything other than army boots, jeans and run of the mill shirts. _

_June what are you doing, he's going to think you look ridiculous…_

I was afraid of what Marie might be saying to him so I took a big breath and braced myself for whatever was to come.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Cal was silent nearly the whole car ride, which is a good twenty minutes. His jaw had dropped just like Marie's had when he saw me, he even said 'wow' but now I wasn't so sure what he thought. The silence was pushing me over the edge, I wanted to say something but I had no idea what.

And then we both started up simultaneously

"Sorry, you go ahead." I said, thankful I didn't have to continue.

Cal pulled the car over to the side of the road and just sat there for a second. "I've been wondering when the best time to give you this was…" He dug into his coat pocket and pulled out a shiny black box no bigger than the palm of my hand. "Happy Birthday, June" he unsurely handed it to me.

I took it gingerly, readying myself to tell him I could not accept the gift, no matter what it was.

"Cal…I" but he cut me off as though he sensed what I was about to say.

"Just open it, okay." The box squeaked in protest as I lifted the lid. Instantly my breath caught in my throat and I could feel tears welling behind my eyes.

"H…how?" I asked simply and in complete awe; eyes still focused on the boxes contents.

"It's not the same one, not hers I mean, but it's as close to it as possible with only pictures and Marie's descriptions to go by." There before me, in that tiny box, was my Mother's locket. Or well, one that looked exactly the same. The real one had been lost in the car accident that killed her.

"Cal… I don't know what to say, this is, this is…" I clicked the nearly invisible latch, just like on my Mother's locket, and watched as it sprung open. Inside was my favorite picture of the two of us, taken when I was 15, just before she died.

I dropped the box into my lap, locket clutched in my hands and pressed against my chest, as silent tears streamed down my cheeks. Before I knew it I'd thrown my arms around Cal in an embrace that I had no intention of ever ending. But not long after, he was gently pushing me away until we were just inches apart. His hand came up to my cheek and lingered for a moment before wiping away the tears with his thumb.

"Thank you. This is the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me. I don't know how I can ever thank you enough."

"You don't need to, June." But then he paused for a moment, considering something, before that wicked grin of his appeared. "On second thought, there is _one_ thing I can think of…" I had no time to protest before his lips were crushing mine, and even if I'd had some I wasn't sure I would have stopped him.

Tears still lingered on my mouth making the kiss warm and salty as it deepened. Soon his tongue parted my lips and darted effortlessly against mine igniting something inside me that I'd never felt before. Warmth spread from my chest and through my body while we pressed against each other, lost in the most amazing kisses. The world around me disappeared; all I could feel was his body, all I could hear was our breaths growing heavier, but also something else, something out of place, something oddly familiar. An owl maybe, yes, the distant hoot of an owl.

_An owl!_

I pulled away hurriedly and peered out the windshield, eyes wide with worry.

"What is it? What's the matter!?" Cal asked between breaths, feeling my urgency. But nothing was there, just the sound of snow crystals melting against the glass.

"Nothing, I just…I thought I heard something. Maybe we should go, I'd hate to miss our reservation, would be such a waste of a dress." I gestured to my outfit and Cal smiled softly.

"You do look ravishing, you're sure to make me the envy of every man there." I laughed it off as if it were a joke and fastened the locket around my neck. Its intricate filigree vines and flowers matched my attire perfectly, as the brassy color complimented the earthy green tone. And the center held an onyx stone so black that it always reminded me of a pool of ink. But now it reminded me of something else; the strange owl's tipped wings and eerie eye. But I would not let that nightmare soil the beauty of my Mother's necklace, I thumbed over the stone as I did with her locket as a child, bringing a sense of calm to my body as Cal and I finished the drive in a comfortable silence.

Dinner went all too quickly as did the drive back. "You know, I don't think I'm quite ready to go home, not just yet, the night's too good to end now" I mused in the car, just the thought of that lonely, stuffy house stifled my breathing.

"Well, you're the birthday girl... what did you have in mind?"

"Actually, I have no idea. I guess everything's closed by now." I said frankly, this wasn't exactly the biggest town, the nightlife was almost non-existent. Cal thought sincerely for a second before coming up just as empty as I did.

"Well, it's not the most_ hip_ place in the world, but I do know of one place that is always open. To a choice few that is" I raised my eyebrows waiting for him to continue but he didn't. Instead he showed me. Before I knew it we were parking behind the bookstore.

"Ooo, swanky, think we can get in?" I laughed.

"Do you have a better idea? No? I didn't think so." He smiled and ushered me out of the car and into the store. "Okay, now just wait here for one second." He left the lights off, slipped into the backroom and fumbled around for a few minutes. When he pulled back the red curtain that led to the back room my breath caught for a moment. Candles lit up the room and a blanket lay on the floor with two glasses and a bottle of wine. It was clear that he'd been planning to bring me back here the whole time. His eyebrows raised, unsure of how to read my reaction. I stepped into the back room, a little impressed but also a little confused. I wasn't sure what he was expecting here. I gingerly took a seat and glanced over the room again.

"Um, Cal?" I said quietly. He sat across from me, so close his knees were touching mine. He looked a little worried. "Do you…." I leaned in close and his breath quickened a little.

"Yes?" he whispered back.

"Do you think it's safe to have all of these open flames around the books?" this time it was my turn to wear the wicked smile. He leaned back and laughed, running his hand back through his hair.

"You had me going there…and no, it's probably not safe. Do you want me to put out the lights?" He winked and I blushed. We blew out a few of the candles a sipped wine in silence.

"Thank you, for tonight. The locket, everything." I said, rubbing the front of the necklace again.

"It suits you" he said, gently touching it "As does that dress, I really did mean it when I said you were breathtaking." His fingers lingered, caressing the top of my chest where the edge of lace met my skin. I couldn't hold back the shudder. Warmth spread through my body and I wasn't sure it was from the wine or his touch, maybe both.

Cal set his wine glass aside and starred at me, something I couldn't recognize playing in his eyes. I felt awkward and exposed and the wine was starting to make my head loopy. I decided it was best that I set it aside too. I pulled my heels off and set them aside, needing to feel more comfortable, more like myself. I tried, to no avail, to tug the dress down and make it longer but all I succeeded in doing was drawing his attention to how much it had risen up on my thighs. He smiled for a second before leaning in and gently stroking my leg, slowly and slowly inching up to meet the bottom of my dress. His other hand encircled my waist and pulled me closer to him. My hands pressed against his chest and bunched his dress shirt into my fists. The hand that started on my leg was now gingerly rubbing circles into my thigh beneath the dress.

"June…" he whispered into my hair. I was too frightened to look up and meet his gaze "June, look at me…" he stopped the rubbing for a moment but his hand remained there. I slowly peeked up. His face glowed in the candlelight with such beauty. Angelic almost, no…maybe devilish, I couldn't decide. I unclenched my fists and before I let myself think I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him with a ferocity I didn't know I possessed. His hand gripped my hip and pulled me tight against him, his other hand pressed into the back of my head, holding me, willing the kiss to never break. I thought I might run out of breath, it seemed harder and harder to breathe.

I moved my hands down and under his jacket, desperately wanting to be closer to his skin. He let me strip it off and I started to work on the buttons on his now wrinkled white button up. He grabbed my wrists gently and I stopped, curious.

"Let's move upstairs." It was almost a question.

"Okay" I said, barely audible through my heavy breaths. He led me up the stairs, our hands intertwined. I was so nervous I was practically shivering by the time we made it up. His apartment was nice, elegant and tasteful, and the perfect size for someone single. It was, effectively, one giant room. At the top of the stairs there was the door that led outside, to the left was the kitchen, decently sized with a bar built in and a few stools. Other than the bar it was open, leading straight into the main room which consisted of his large bed, a few chairs, and a flat screen on the wall. Another door led to what I assumed was the bathroom and there were a few more narrow doors that must have been closets.

I sat and scooted back onto the bed, resting on my knees, unsure of how to continue. He stood in front of me, just watching. I leaned forward and went back to work on the buttons of his shirt but I was too nervous to make my hands of any use on them. Cal made quick work of them for me, his shirt hung open, his skin slightly exposed, daring me to rip the cloth away. It took every ounce of strength to move slowly. I edged up on my knees and pressed my hands against the bare skin, eyes closed, relishing in the warmth. I pulled the shirt off the rest of the way and brought my lips in, kissing and tickling up his chest. I heard his breath catch slightly as my nails and tongue ran across him. With that he pressed his body onto mine, taking us back against the bed. His hands ran up and down my body with so much pleasure I couldn't focus on what to enjoy most. Before I knew it we were both panting, I could feel his excitement pressing against me as he found my zipper. Slowly and smoothly he unzipped it, I felt the cool hair brush against my skin that now felt as though it were burning. Every thought had left my mind, I was lost in what was happening and even though I still felt that familiar frightened feeling in my chest, I never wanted this to stop. He carefully pulled the dress down, exposing my thin lacey bra and stomach. He went for the straps, pulling down on at a time and kissing where it had been. His lips and tongue played their way down, closer and closer to my breast and I felt as if I were going to explode. He pulled down the lace and, after what felt like ages, finally made contact. I couldn't help it; a moan escaped my mouth, something so foreign in sound, so aching. If I hadn't known better I wouldn't have recognized it to be me.

Suddenly, as if he'd been in some dream, the sound awakened him and he suddenly stopped, lungs still heaving with excitement.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked, worried. He pulled away and sat up, rubbing his hands through his hair. All of a sudden I realized just how exposed I was, that awkward, uncomfortable feeling flooded back all at once and I pulled my dress up trying so desperately to cover myself.

"I'm sorry, this is…I can't do this, it feels all….wrong" he trailed off so quietly I almost didn't hear the last word.

_Wrong? Oh God…_

A burning, aching feeling took hold of where my heart was. I was so confused, why was this wrong? Was there something wrong with _me_? Did I do something wrong? I must have. The signals were all there, it had been going so well…_ What did I do? What did I do wrong?_

I couldn't speak, I couldn't think of any words, nothing was making sense. The room felt like it was spinning. I knew Cal was talking to me, saying something about getting our shoes and jackets and taking me home, something about being so sorry, but I couldn't comprehend any of it. He was giving no reasons why he stopped, why it was so wrong, he was purely and simple rejecting me. He'd made me feel so wanted, so beautiful, he led me to this spot and then ….then…this! Why!?

I wanted to leave, to be gone from this place, from him. I felt sick and used. The thought of enduring the car ride with him sickened me even more. Before I knew it I'd slipped my arms back in the dress, zipper still gaping open, and was out the door. I'd gone home through the woods behind the bookstore hundreds of times, I knew the route like the back of my hand and though it was long and snow was on the ground I didn't care. My bare feet refused to acknowledge the freezing earth beneath them. In the distance behind me I heard Cal calling my name, his voice thick with something, worry maybe? No, no, I wouldn't listen, I just ran, frozen branches scraping at my skin, I needed to get away, from him, from everything that had just happened. I needed to be free of my mind but I knew, no matter how hard I ran, that would never be possible.

The freezing air finally penetrated my thoughts, searing and boring into every nook of my skin and bones. It stabbed my lungs and I could feel the throbbing from scrapes on my skin and feet. I dropped to my knees, and there in the middle of the woods, in the dead of winter, I wept like I hadn't since I lost my mother. Suddenly I remember the locket he'd given me. I ripped it from my neck and threw into the snow ahead of me. Instantly the anger drained, the tears stopped, and I felt a pang of regret. I crawled over and searched the snow, clinging to the locket as soon as I found it with my frozen fingers. I clutched it to my chest, imagining my mother holding me as I held it, and staggered the rest of the way home.

The front door was locked and my purse was back at the bookstore, I spent a good ten minutes jimmying the lock on the glass doors out back before giving up. Just as I dropped the thin stick I was using I heard a click, I pushed the long knob down and went inside without question. I didn't care how it happened, I was just glad to be inside. I couldn't feel my fingers or toes and I knew my body was a mess, my dress probably ruined, but I only had strength to pull myself into bed, curl up under the covers and let silent tears lull me to sleep.

Morning came and went; I woke up in the late afternoon tucked tightly into the covers, with a cup of hot tea staring at me from my nightstand. Had Marie found her way in? I couldn't remember. I had a vague recollection of incessant calls and knocking, all of which I eagerly ignored before falling back into a dead, dreamless sleep. I got up and sipped the tea, it was so inviting, dark and strong the way I loved it. I carried it with me to the bathroom only to discover another warm surprise. Bathwater, still running and omitting a sweet perfume smell from the bath salts Marie had given me some time ago; I stripped off my dress and panties, avoiding the mirror at all costs and soaked and sipped tea until the water had gone too cold to bear. I patted off the excess water and wrapped myself in the plush pink robe that accompanied Marie's gift of salts and bath bombs. She had a thing for pink and couldn't comprehend that not everyone else in the world did too. I didn't care though; it was soft, clean, warm and most of all comfortable. Which were all things that I needed right then. Making my way to the kitchen for a fresh cup of tea I found it so odd that Marie was staying so distant, it was completely unlike her. A horrid thought occurred to me then

_Oh God, what if it's Cal, not Marie?_

It would make sense. I loved Marie but that girl did not know how to give people space. The sick feeling in my gut returned and I was afraid to step into the kitchen where the teapot was now screaming. I gritted my teeth and resolved to face him but when I stepped onto the tiled floor the room seemed to be as empty as the rest of the house. Confused, I drank another cup of tea, ate the buttered toast someone had left for me and went to get dressed. I pulled on a pair of jeans, slipped on my favorite blue t-shirt, laced up my trusty boots and threw on a fuzzy old, grey sweater. I needed to get my things from the bookstore and I needed to see Marie. I decided to start with the latter, I wasn't sure my resolve would hold up, I needed to do a test run with her. Thankfully I'd left the keys to my old, dull plum Honda civic here last night, after my little jaunt through the woods last night I had no desire to be out walking in the cold. My digits stung just thinking about it.

I was about to turn the car key in the lock when I heard a voice from behind me. Leaning against our tacky red front door was a rather strange looking man. Instantly, upon meeting his eyes, a pang of fear shot through me.

_Those…eyes…_

I flashed back to my sketch, the little red book, and the owl that I was certain had been something of my dreams. Two words kept ringing in my ears, over and over…

_Goblin King._

"**Leaving without even a simple 'thank you' June? And after I went to so much trouble…" **

_My name, he said my name…_

Terse, knowing eyebrows raised high, showing off the smoky grey-blue eye shadow that decorated his piercing, lined eyes. His hair gleamed golden and glorious in the sun while an unaffectionate smile toyed on his lips. A glimpse behind those lips revealed frighteningly sharp, inhuman teeth.

His attire made him seem even more out of place, leaving little to the imagination; beneath a dark flowing, leather cape he wore a ruffled shirt, the deep neckline showed off the top of his pecks and hinted to the muscles that were most certainly under the rest of his shirt, as for his bottom half, he wore some sort of riding pants that were nearly obscenely tight, giving more than a simple glimpse of the large bulge that I assumed he must be very proud of.

_This is impossible, this can't be real, I must be dreaming…_ I leaned back against my car, willing my legs to hold me up, a thousand different things playing through my head and I assumed on my face as well. He read the emotions easily.

"**I can assure you this is not a dream, though as the clock ticks forth you will undoubtedly cling to that pointless hope."**

"Who…who are you?"

**"I believe you already know, after all, you did draw this….portrait of me. Though I'm not sure you captured the resemblance quite well enough, I'm much more handsome. Don't you think?" **He smiled ghoulishly, holding up my sketchbook. In what seemed like a blink of an eye he was in front of me, mere inches away, my book now replaced by the little red one I had come to love so much. **"I am most curious as to where you found this." **He held it up, flipping through it without purpose.

"I, uh, found it…." _What the hell am I supposed to say to this freak?_

**"Hmm, yes, it has a way of popping up where it ought not too" **Within a flash the book was gone and replaced by an odd, glasslike sphere that he wound and waved over and around his hands and fingers effortlessly. **"I must know, now that you've met me, am I as ****_cruel_**** as you think me to be?" **Something terrifying lingered in his words and on his face when he spoke then and I felt like I was going to pass out, as if he were sucking up all the air around me. Was he, or was I just having some kind of panic attack?

"I…I don't know who the Hell you are but…you need to leave, now!" I pushed him away, he felt solid as stone, and I ripped my car door open, flinging myself inside as fast as possible.

**"You called me June, what's said is said, you can't be rid of me so easy…" **He was gone when I looked up from the steering wheel. I kicked the car in reverse and peeled out of the driveway, making my way to Marie's.

_I've lost my mind. I've gone insane and had some kind of breakdown….maybe I should be going to the hospital. _

_Oh Lord, and what do you say June? That you're seeing the __**Goblin King**__? I'm sure that'll go over well._

I'd been so lost in thought that I hadn't realized I'd made my way to the bookstore out of habit. Luckily Cal's car was gone and I took the chance to get my things. I used the extra key Cal had given me ages ago and poked around downstairs for my shoes, purse, and jacket. I couldn't find them so I cautiously made my way up the stairs to his apartment. The thought of being near that bed again made my head spin and my stomach roll with anxiety. There weren't a whole lot of places where my things could be so I switched on the light and made quick work of scanning the room. My things were on a recliner on the other side of the bed. I grabbed them quickly before heading back down the stairs but stopped just short of the top step. Clearly when he returned he'd know I had been there, I decided to leave the key to the store on the counter.

**"Good girl, better you leave it than he come asking. I'd hate for someone else to see you blubbering like you had in the woods"** The Goblin King was perched on the banister, looking rather relaxed and bored, a certain insincerity in his words, or maybe I was just imagining that too.

"You aren't real." I said simply, but even I could hear the doubt in my voice. I passed him briskly and locked the front door before leaving the bookstore behind, not even a glance behind me. The sky had turned dark with menacing clouds on the way here and now the onslaught of rain and thunder and lightning had begun. Outside I found Cal and Marie, clearly shocked to find me here. He eagerly stepped towards me as if to hug me but then thought better. I clutched my things to my chest and said nothing.

"We were …I was so worried. You left last night before I could…well, I couldn't find you…I called Marie hoping maybe you'd gone there." His words were awkward and brief. Clearly Marie had no idea what was going on. She ran up to me inspecting my emotionless face.

"What the fuck happened, Cal wouldn't tell me a damn thing, all I know is that you went missing and when I finally got someone to pick up your phone it wasn't even you, it was some strange guy!" Marie's tone rose to almost a shout. My eyes met hers and I immediately wondered if she'd said what I thought she did.

"A man answered? You heard him, you talked to him? What did he say, what did he sound like?" My words were rushed and urgent.

"What do you mean!? He was with you, you should know! Are you alright, who is he?" Both she and Cal looked worried. I shook away the thoughts of the strange man momentarily.

"Nothing, no one, I'm fine. I just came to get the things I left last night." The King's words echoed in my head _blubbering, that's what he said, my blubbering…_ I mustered up the most genuine smile I could but it was cold and unforgiving. "I'm sorry about last night Cal and I'm sorry I worried you Mar. As for what happened last night…" I glanced at Marie and then made eye contact with Cal. "I quit…" I struggled for the words to speak next but nothing came to mind. Marie could tell there was more to the story but she knew this wasn't the time or place. Cal just looked hurt though I couldn't begin to understand why he would be hurt after what he'd done to me last night.

"I'll drive you" I told Marie and we left in silence, she didn't speak the whole way to my house. When we went inside I found that I wasn't the only one glancing around looking for someone else in the house. She noticed at the same time.

"What's going on?" she asked softly, her voice laced with concern. Reluctantly I filled her in on the details of last night while we dried off from the rain that was still hammering down outside. She was unsure what to say at first, somehow she seemed angry almost. "Well, you didn't give him a chance to explain, maybe there's a good reason…" My jaw dropped so far it could have hit the floor.

"Are you kidding me right now? What possible reason could there be, and why do I feel like you know more than you're sharing." The silence grew uncomfortable and I felt anxiety growing deep inside. She was about to speak and somehow I felt that I wasn't going to like whatever it was she had to say.

"June…. I'm so sorry…" her sentence choked off and she began to sob, "I…I'm the worst friend in the world. I've known that there was something with you and Cal for a long time but you know how things have been with Kevin and I…and he's just a boy….and I….Oh God" She sobbed some more.

"Marie, what are you telling me here? I honestly don't know" Only I had a good idea

"We've been….well…you know…for a little while now…I mean, Cal and I" she peeked up from her hands and stared at me through tears. I didn't know what to say, what to do, a moment of anger flickered before it was replaced with something else, something numbing and awful. "It was just sex at first but he really liked you, he always has, it's not his fault it's mine, I came on to him and then things got complicated and we were seeing each other more and more and I knew what was going to happen last night and I couldn't stand it. I think I love him June! I should have never pretended to encourage you, I just felt so bad for you and I didn't think that it would ever go anywhere for you guys I mean, it's you! …Oh God I didn't mean it like that, I just mean, well you know how you are, you don't let anyone in, you don't love anyone…" She could tell she was digging herself in deeper but she didn't stop. Her words had bled together in my ears; the world was spinning out of control. He was cruel, she was cruel and the world was far more cruel and unfair than I ever realized.

"Get out." My fists clenched so tight I could feel my nails begin to dig into my skin. She looked stunned as if I'd slapped her.

"Wha…what?" she asked, more tears forming. "No, June, I'm so sorry you have to forgive me, please!"

"You….you…both of you! Pretending to be my friend? Pretending to be someone I could count on, care about. But what is it you said Marie!? I don't _love_. No, I couldn't possibly, it's beyond me right? This is wrong, unfair! This is all so unfair! I'd rather be thrown into the pits of the labyrinth. That would be fairer than this, than what you've done, than what my whole life has been!"

"What? What are you talking about!?" Marie reached up to grasp my shoulders, I jerked back, just the thought of her touching me caused pain; to imagine him touching her instead of me, of him wanting her more than me, I couldn't bare it.

"Get. Out. Now. You leave this house right now and you don't ever come back. You don't call me, you don't touch me, you don't look at me, and you can tell _Cal_ the same thing!" I spit his name out like it was a curse, as if it literally left a bad taste in my mouth. Marie seemed in a daze when she stood, I stared at the floor, fists clenched in my lap, as she left, thankfully without another word.

I must have been holding my breath because when I inhaled it was as if I was taking my first breath after nearly drowning. I stood up and in one fell swoop knocked the few dishes, teapot, and miscellaneous items off of the kitchen islands counter. They crashed to the floor, glass flying every which way; it crunched under my boots as I headed to my bedroom. I tore my room apart looking for the album of my mother and I that I'd made with her before she died. I'd added to it all the time, more pictures of her, of Marie, Kevin and I, of Cal…the two of us together.

_Poor Kevin…._

I found the album and stared at all their faces, at my mother's face. The anger inside me grew. Everything had fallen apart. My eyes burned with tears I could no longer hold back, they fell mutely onto the images before me.

"_Why did you leave me?"_ I screamed at my mother's face "_you left me here, all alone! Why!? You left and you took Dad's love with you! All I had was Marie and Cal, I finally had something that you would want me to have mom, I had something and it all got ripped away, every bit of it. It's not fair, it's your fault I'm alone, it's not fair…it's not…"_ the sobs became audible, I didn't care anymore, I didn't care about anything. I ripped the pictures from the album, every one, and threw it across the room before collapsing into a ball. It landed with a thunk at the feet of My Goblin King._ No…not _my_ Goblin King. I have nothing, I have no one._ But then it occurred to me. Marie had acknowledged the existence of this man, I wasn't losing my mind. He was real. Somehow he was real and he was in my bedroom watching me cry like a child.

**"I thought you knew all about the world June, and just how ****_unfair_**** it could be. Isn't that what you told me?"**

"What do you want from me!? Does my blubbering amuse you? Is there not enough entertainment in your world that you have to come to mine, that you have to ruin everything!"

**"Do not pretend that any of this is my doing. You invited me here June, you called and I answered"**

I was on my feet now, ready to scream and argue some more, but he was right. None of this was his fault, no, but he enjoyed my torture and that was enough to set me off again.

"I was right, you're nothing but pathetic!"

**"Pathetic?"** he seemed amused** "You, little girl, are the one screaming how unfair your life is. And here I thought you read that little book."**

"There are no babies here Goblin King, you have no reason to be here!"

**"No, no babies here, but you are no ordinary girl, June."** With the flick of a crystal the Goblin King transformed into a mess of feathers, the window burst open and out the owl flew. Left on the bed was the little red book open to a page near the beginning. I read over it, whispering the words as I went.

'but what no one knew was that the Goblin King had fallen in love with a girl and bestowed upon her certain powers'


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Time had lost all meaning, minutes or hours passed as I sat staring at the mess a photos on the floor. Finally, slowly, I released the little red book from my death grip and knelt on the floor, gingerly smoothing the pictures I'd tossed so carelessly.

"Momma…." I whispered with a shaky breath. "I'm so sorry." Only a few pictures had been crumpled, I took my time with placing them all back into the album that was now half falling apart. I left out the ones of Cal and Marie, the wound was still too raw and I feared that the anger would bubble over again if I thought about the situation at hand. Instead I gripped the locket and peered into the face of my Mother. "I miss you so much…" The locket should have brought me back to the night with Cal that went so horribly wrong but somehow it didn't, it matched hers so perfectly that I couldn't damn it because of his actions. It reminded me of her and only her and for that I knew I would be eternally grateful. I found myself searching my Mother's eyes over and over again for some piece of advice or answer but they were empty and she was gone. I was on my own, I suppose I had been since the day she died, but I needed help. I wasn't losing my mind; I came to that conclusion difficultly. Marie had spoken to a man on the phone; there was no way to explain that other than to assume that this 'Goblin King' really did exist, at least to some extent.

After deciding that I wasn't crazy and that I would get no answers from photographs I picked myself up off the floor and trudged to the bathroom to clean away the tear trails I was sure were still on my face. After a good scrubbing I stared intently at the face in the mirror. _Everything's gone to Hell. Face it June, you're well and simply fucked."_

I sighed and shook my head, a grim smirk tugged the edges of my lips "Good to know you're optimism is still intact" I mocked to myself. Reality settled in though and I ran through my options, or lack thereof. Finally I mustered up the courage to pick up the phone and waited anxiously for the voice on the other end.

The line clicked and all I could hear was muffled music and voices.

"Dad…" I felt like I had to scream over the background noise.

"Why are you calling, what's happened, what did you do?" Step-Bitch instantly sounded perturbed.

"Lucy." Instant disappointment "I really need to talk to my Dad, just for a second…please" Maybe she just didn't want to deal with me or maybe she could hear the desperation in my voice, either way, she listened for once. I could hear fuzz and more muffles as she made her way to wherever my Father was.

"June? What's going on? Is the house okay?"

_Gee, thanks Dad. Your daughter summoned an evil Goblin King and made-out and nearly had sex with her 26 year old boss before being betrayed by him and her best friend… but hey, the house is great so it's all good._

"The house is fine, Dad." I was instantly on the defensive and my courage was draining away by the second. "I just…" and then I realized what I was doing. I was calling a man who, in essence, had disappeared the same day my Mother had. He wouldn't give me advice, he wouldn't fly home to hold or comfort me, he wouldn't do a damn thing and I was a fool to even pretend otherwise. And, in all honesty, what could I have possibly said to make him believe me. "I uh, just wanted to make sure you guys had a safe trip and were having fun. Just checking in, I felt…bad…for being late the other night and you guys left in such a hurry I didn't get to apologize" Yeah right, even I wasn't buying that bull.

"Oh, well, okay then. You're forgiven. You know, we are hard on you because we want the best for you."_ Well sure Dad, the teachers at school beat us too because they want what's 'best' for us… _"But uh we are on vacation and don't need interruptions June, so don't call unless it's an emergency alright? If you're scared to be home you can go to your friend Melody's house. Gotta go!" and then he hung up.

"Marie…her name's Marie and no, I can't go there…"

With that option off the table I really was at a loss. I almost picked up the phone to call Kevin but somehow that just seemed spiteful and I couldn't bear to be the one to tell Kevin what Marie had done, I couldn't be the cause of that kind of pain for him, I felt guilty but it just wasn't my place. Eventually just sitting there had my nerves going crazy, I ran to my bedroom and snatched up the little red book, searching frantically for some kind of clue, some kind of option. _Come on Come on! There's got to be some kind of…escape clause in here, right? _

I came to that line again, the one the Goblin King had left the book opened to earlier. I read over it again and again and it seemed to make less sense each time.

I made an unintelligible grunt and smacked my head against the book that now lay open in my lap.

"What did I get myself into? This is ridiculous, impossible, this is" **DING-DONG**

I nearly threw my heart up onto the floor when the doorbell rang. I was a mess of tensed muscles and nerves and couldn't imagine who would be at the door. Could Marie really be that stupid? Part of me hated her, or wanted to, but even IF I could ever forgive her, now would not be that time. When I turned the corner that led to the open kitchen and ultimately the small hallway to the front door, I received another shock.

"What are you doing here, come to mock me some more? And why the Hell do you bother with doorbells if you're just going to let yourself in!" I was angry and terrified but I certainly didn't want him to see the latter. He'd already seen me cry, more than once, and I was certain that this was not the sort of 'man' that you wanted to share your weakness with.

**"You called me here. Do I really have to explain it so many times? Perhaps I could fetch a goblin to explain; maybe they're more to your speed."** He said while un-amusedly resting against the kitchen counter. _Wonderful, now he's insulting your intelligence. _

His wardrobe had changed I noted. With a dramatic swish of his cape it disappeared and I had a moment to truly take in the ensemble. He wore the same type of riding pants, obscenely tight just as before, but in a dusky grey color. His blouse was black and long-sleeved void of ruffles this time but the arms were wide and it sported the same sort of deep V as the other. Over that he had a fitted, deep blue vest with some understated silver filigree embroidered in. His boots were black and calf high while a pair of matching black-gloved hands played mesmerizingly with one of his crystals. All-in-all he looked quite magnificent and it took me aback for a moment.

_He really IS quite handsome….maybe that drawing didn't do him justice after all_.

He noticed how my stare lingered and a wicked grin appeared. The sight of his dagger-like teeth sent a chill down my spine.

** "And, I don't ****_do_**** doorbells."** he finished.

"Let me guess, not enough flare?" I said in a snarky tone.

**"I don't answer them either,"** He brushed off my comment and sauntered to the front door **"but I think I'll make an exception this time." **

I scrambled to catch up "How the hell am I going to explain…you…whatever _this_ whole thing is." I gestured wildly, grasping for words to describe whatever the hell he was and what was going on. "Wait a minute, at least let me check who it is!" I lunged and slammed myself against the door desperately trying to stop him from opening it.

"June, is everything okay? Please, just talk to me for a second, let me explain!" Cal called from the other side.

"Oh God, no! No, no, no" I shook my head wildly and flattened my back against the door, willing every ounce of strength I had to keep it shut. My eyes were squeezed shut in desperation. "Go away Goblin King, just go away!" I said in an urgent, hushed voice "Don't you have better things to do than torment me!" My eyes shot open when I felt his hand touch my chin. He tilted my head up to meet his gaze and his body grew uncomfortably close. So much so that I could feel the heat from his chest as it rose and fell in time with his breath. My heart quickened and my body went ridged.

**"Torment you say? Dear girl, you have no idea what torment is. But, if you so wish, I would be pleased to show you."** He smiled and his body rumbled with a low chuckle as he let his fingers fall and caress my jaw line and down the side of my neck before snapping those fearsome teeth together. My body shuttered involuntarily and for a brief moment I wasn't sure it were from fear or...something else. **"Now, let's not keep your ****_beaux" _**he very nearlyspit the word out **"waiting."**

He made easy work of wrapping his arm around my waste and twirling me away from the door, my breath caught in my throat as he did so, and before I knew it the door was swinging open and I was faced with Cal and Marie's stunned faces.

They didn't speak for the longest time, they just kept staring back and forth between myself and this strange man they'd never met nor heard of before. The King made a grand gesture with his arm, inviting them into the house; I just stood there at a loss for what to do. Finally, in line with her character, Marie was the first to speak, though it very nearly took her a few attempts to form a word.

She openly stared with a quizzical look on her face "June, uh… who is this?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the King's face. I imagine I looked like a fish suffocating as I tried to think of something, mouth gaping open and shut.

"This is my"

_Damn it June, stop saying __**'MY'**_

"Er uh, this is a friend….sort of" I anxiously fidgeted with my hands as everyone stood, too close for comfort, in the small hallway. The Goblin king had moved closer and his side was now lightly pressed against mine as he stood there amused and looking ever as regal. Cal instantly noticed his movement to be closer. I shot the King a look, knowing he must be making me more uncomfortable on purpose.

"Is everything alright here? Seriously, who is this guy? Who are you?" Finally he addressed the King himself, I jumped in for fear of what the Goblin King might say.

"This is…" _Goblin King. Goblin King. Goblin King. _"Um, Damien Thorn." _Crap, Damien Thorn!? Seriously, you couldn't think of anything better, June… Maybe no one will notice…_

Marie looked skeptical "What, like the kid from The Omen?"

_Aw crap. _

"Heh, yeah, but it's spelled differently" I tried desperately to move past the name "He just got into town the other day, he's been living in London." At least that will explain why The King had a bit of an accent.

"Well, how do you know him? How com we've never heard of him before?" Cal was getting irritated, jealous maybe, as the King placed his arm on the wall beside me and lounged there, much closer against me than before.

**"She found my book and showed a ****_great_**** interest in it. She called for me and I had no choice but to answer, she's so very ****_interesting_****, don't you think?" **The Goblin King lightly stroked the hair away from my neck. I was so startled didn't know how to react or what Cal and Marie were sure to think. As he pulled the book out from behind him, and out of thin air I was sure, he was almost goading Cal the way he laced his words with something almost sexual.

Cal took a step forward in protest and Marie just looked at me in awe. I knew I had to speak before they could. "What do the two of you want?" I asked, straightening my spine and crossing my arms, resolved to go along with the Goblin Kings implications. Because, quite frankly, what I did or didn't do was my business, not theirs, and I was suddenly so tired of being pitied by them. The King seemed completely taken by surprise for an instant as I leaned back against his chest but he showed no objections, instead he took the opportunity to wrap his arm around my waist and hold me tightly to him. My resolve faltered for a moment and I had to fight to make myself remain as if I were calm.

Shaking away the shock, Marie answered. "We wanted to explain ourselves, but clearly you have _things_ to do." Was she angry? It almost seemed as if she was as she stared hungrily at the Goblin King.

"I don't need your explanations. Frankly I don't care what you have to say. Everything has been made _very_ clear, by the both of you. I wish you the best in your… relationship or whatever." I was growing more perturbed by the minute, my body becoming rigid with anger. I was losing it. Suddenly the King was holding me tighter, his other arm stroking my arm gently. The anger slowly melted away and I was nearly alarmed at how much it seemed to be helping.

"There's no relationship! There's nothing between Marie and I. You need to understand that! I…I have feelings for you, I thought I made that clear." Cal lost his bravado for a moment and looked down, ashamed, embarrassed maybe. But my eyes were fixed on Marie, the hurt was clear on her face and she took a step back as if she had been slapped. My heart ached for her while Cal showed no regard whatsoever for her feelings.

These two people standing in front of me looked so foreign to me now. They'd once been my best friends, I'd have done anything for them, they were the only things in my life that truly mattered, but now they were like strangers. Cal seemed so uncaring, he'd used Marie and me both, and I'd have never thought he was capable of such deceit. Shows just how much I knew. And Marie, she was a mess of things I couldn't understand. She'd been begging for forgiveness just the other day, now she seemed angry and spiteful, as if this whole situation was my doing. I was sick of it, done with the whole thing, I felt so tired I just wanted everyone to go away. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing everything to be silenced.

**"Open your eyes, June."** His breath felt close to my ear, tickling through the hair his voice cut into my mind, sweet and hushed like a lover but as urgent and slicing as a knife. I opened my eyes slowly and calmly to a house void of Cal and Marie. Suddenly I was full of fear and I whirled around, breaking free from the Goblin Kings embrace.

"Where are they, what did you do to them!?" I was frantic, picturing them in some kind of steaming pit smack dab in the Labyrinth.

**"Cease your incessant worry" **he waved his hand in exasperation and sighed as he gripped the bridge of his nose** "Humans." **He simply stated, as if that explained anything and everything.** "They are in perfect health at that little run down book store you seem to love so much."**

"How the hell do you expect me to explain that? One minute they're here and the next"

**"I assure you they will not remember a thing beyond the conversation, they won't question a thing." **All evidence of the sweet voice and comforting gesture from earlier were gone, he was back to being cold and pretentious. Had I imagined the sweetness in his voice altogether?

I was so confused, why was he still here? Why hadn't I been turned into a goblin or something?

"Goblin King,"

**"Jareth"**

"What?"

**"Normally one would be required to address me by my title but clearly you need to know my name, lest you try to make one up again." **I was a bit taken aback.

_Jareth. I rather like that, it suits him well._

"Alright, Jareth" as I said his name his eyes closed and lingered like that for a moment, as if in enjoyment, before returning my stare with a seemingly bored gaze.

**"Yes?"**

"Jareth…why are you still here" before he could interrupt with the usual 'You called me' bit, I continued "I know, I know, I _called_ you here or whatever. But what does that mean? That passage…in the book… "I was at a loss for words, I wasn't sure I even knew what I was trying to ask. "There's nothing you could possibly gain… what is it you want from me?"

**"You have more than you know dear girl" **his smile displayed something I couldn't read, something mysterious and unsettling. **"And now, you're asking the right questions."**

Then, he threw one of those glass balls and it shattered midair, I covered my face expecting to be sprayed with shards but when I felt nothing I looked around the room. Jareth, and all evidence of his presence, was gone, leaving me completely alone.


	5. Chapter 5

**This Chapter is appallingly short so please accept my apologies. Normally my chapters are in the 4-5 thousand word range but this one is like a third of that, I've had a long week and keep getting a damn migraine so this was the best I could do under the circumstances _ **

**If you forgive me I promise to do my best at making the next chapter extra awesome and much longer than this :D**

**Side note- I do NOT own Jareth or the Labyrinth! **

**Ooh but if I did ^_^**

**Anyway, enjoy and please review if you have the time. I always welcome comments, critiques, or suggestions of any kind! In fact, I urge you to share your ideas, I have a general plan of where the story is going but this is my first fanfiction so I'd love input from readers :) And thank you for taking the time to read the story!**

* * *

Chapter 5

_If I'm asking all the right damn questions then why the hell doesn't he bother to stick around and answer them!_

The evening was setting in and the sky was dimming, deep pinks and oranges settled in on the horizon and would disappear all too soon. I sat outside with a hot mug of cider watching it all while my nose and cheeks burned into numbness from the freezing air, trying to make some sense of the past few days. As crazy as everything had been, as awful as some of the moments were, I felt oddly calm. Something in Jareth's words, in his voice, chilled me to the core…but then that same something seemed to have sparked an emotion inside of me that I couldn't quite name. I was excited and terrified all at the same time and it scared the shit out of me when I really thought about it. So I didn't let myself. I relished in the warmth of my drink, closed my eyes and felt the snowflakes that were falling sporadically, and remembered the feeling of iciness sear between my toes in the most fantastic way as my Mother and I used to run around on the first snowfall of every winter. Somehow, in that moment, I found a sense of peace. I leaned back into my rickety, weatherworn chair, squeezed my eyes shut, and mentally curled into myself; a quiet smile creeping to my lips.

Suddenly a burst of heat in the form of a light touch on my lips woke me from my daze and I blinked rapidly, searching for a source that didn't seem to exist. Was it my imagination? Just then, in the distant trees I heard a flutter of wings, a soft echoing hoot, and then nothing but the wind that was now picking up. I reached to touch my freezing fingers to my mouth but stopped short, the warmth still lingered and I wanted it to stay. Instinctively, I licked my lips tasting spices in hint and something else, something almost sugary and inviting. I pressed my lips together, tongue brushing against them, trying desperately to taste it again but all the flavor had vanished. I numbly stood and left the cold night behind me for warm sheets and dreams I hoped would be sweet.

I was startled awake but wasn't sure if it were part of my dream or something in the house so I listened intently but no other noises came. I stared through bleary eyes into the darkness, holding my breath, waiting for I didn't know what. Then again the sound came; more clear this time, as if something was scurrying across the floor. It was so dark I couldn't make much out, I quickly and as quietly as possible fumbled for the lamp on my bedside table. I flicked the switch frantically but nothing happened. Lightning lit up the room suddenly and fiercely. Every object cast a terrifying shadow in my panicked state. Then, again, lighting struck somewhere nearby and the room flashed. A dark object raced across the room and disappeared, blocked from my gaze by the bottom of my bed. I screamed until there was no breath in my lungs but it was rendered pointless by the crash of thunder that followed, as if purposefully delivered to drown out my voice. I grabbed the only thing that could be used to defend myself, my lamp, and tentatively knee-crawled to the edge of the bed; using my cell phone as a source of light, but even that seemed dimmer than usual. I made it to the end of the bed, steadied myself, and jumped off , ready to face whatever lurked there.

"What the?" Nothing... there was nothing there. I spun around at another sound, this time coming from the kitchen, and nearly dropped the lamp. "J-Jareth…is that you? This isn't funny, okay?" My voice was hushed; I figured he could hear me no matter what, if it were really him. Then again it could just be some kind of game he was trying to play. That thought instantly infuriated me and I was not about to let the damn Goblin King see me in just a tiny shirt and panties, let alone scare me on top of that. I grabbed a pair of jeans that had been crumpled on the floor and jerked them on quickly. I was going to storm out of the room without the lamp but then I thought better. _If it's not Jareth I need a weapon, if it IS Jareth…well then he deserves a good whack upside the head for freaking me out._

I crept down the hallway, my blunt object at the ready, until I made it into the living room. Nothing seemed out of place but it was still hard to tell. The electricity was out but the lightening was coming at a steady rhythm now that I at least had an idea of where I was headed and what was in the room.

Scrambling came again, getting closer; I listened hard for the source.

I swung hard and low…

**_WHAP!_**

_I got it!_

Whatever it was, it was far too small to be Jareth, unless he was in his owl form. A pang of guilt struck me when I thought about bashing a poor owl with a lamp, even if it was a stupid trickster goblin king. I rustled through a nearby junk drawer and found a flashlight, pointing it at whatever laid crumpled on the floor now.

"AHHHHHHH!"

"gaaaaaahhh!"

I screamed simultaneously with the gnarly, patchy-haired creature that was sitting there, clutching its head.

"AHHHH! WHAT…"

**OOMPH**!

"ARE…"

** HMPH!**

"YOU!?"

**THUNK!**

I was smacking the thing repeatedly until I realized it wasn't in fact trying to fight back, but rather trying to get away from the crazy woman that was beating it senseless with a lamp.

"imma goblin i is miss" it was cowering now, crying even? _Oh no, poor thing_. On closer examination I realized it wasn't so frightening…ugly, yes, but not disgustingly so. Almost like those dogs that are so ugly they're almost cute.

"Oh…Oh my. I'm so sorry, are you alright? Did Jareth put you up to this, that dick" The shock struck its face so forcefully it nearly sent the thing reeling back

"mustn't say such fings miss, the king he is and oh a glo'rus King of us wretch'd fings. Goblin King's gon' be mad at me, put me in the bog of 'ternal stench for wakin the miss up!"

"Wait, slow down, why the heck are you here and why would he want you in my house while I'm sleeping in the first place, what's he up to?"

"Oh! Wait a tick…I got jussa right fing!" The thing…sounded like a 'He'… was rummaging in a little satchel until he pulled out a handful of dust or something. "nigh'night miss!"

Before I could say anything else he blew the dust into my face with a big huff and some nostril-searingly bad breath. The world went all askew and dark and I could vaguely recall a thump as something hit the floor… _wait, am I on the floor?_

Blackness.

For so long it seemed like I was in darkness, a dreamless sort of sleep where muffled words filtered their way in and out now and then. I thought I could make out Jareth's voice for a moment, but only a moment. Eventually the edges of my vision started coming back and I could only think about how uncomfortable my bed was. It felt like I was sleeping on the floor…but it was too hard for my carpet even…it felt like…like _stone…Stone?_

My eyes shot open and I tried to stand far too quickly and I suddenly found myself crashing back to the ground.

"Uunngg…did I fall out of bed again?" I mumbled as I got to my hands and knees, rubbing my head with one hand. As I looked up I was met by the most startling thing I'd ever seen and I blinked over and over, trying desperately to wipe the dream from my eyes before resorting to pinching myself. When that didn't work the reality of it all hit me like a ton of bricks and I gulped loudly, wearily rising to my feet, in awe of the sheer mass and terrifying beauty of the land before me. Orange skies hung overhead, dust and sand swirled around my feet with the light breeze, but what shook me most was the towering castle, miles and miles ahead, that was surrounded by a maze of walls. This was it, The Labyrinth.


	6. Quick Update about Chapter 6

I just want to assure everyone that I **am** working on Chapter 6 of my Labyrinth fanfic though it may be about a week until I get anything up. Things have been a little hectic lately and now I have the flu so I haven't been doing much of anything, let alone writing. But don't worry, I will get the chapter up as soon as possible!

Also, I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to not only read, but review my story. I love hearing your feedback, warms my heart to know that you guys enjoy it so much! **Thank you, thank you, thank you** :)


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I'd spent the last ten minutes walking along the outer wall of the Labyrinth trying desperately to find a way in, to no avail. My feet were still bare from being abruptly woken from sleep and I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do here, even if I found a way into the Labyrinth and to the castle, what then? Why had Jareth brought me here, did he really intend to turn me into a goblin? I certainly wouldn't enjoy that, especially after meeting the creepy little Goblin last night…or at least I assume it was last night. It was hard to tell how long I'd been out.

Suddenly, a wrinkly, patchy-haired mess shuffled around a nearby bush, as if my thought of the little goblin brought him to me. He had my pair of red chucks with him, dragging them along by the shoestrings, and I found myself feeling very guilty for beating the poor little thing the other night. He stopped just short of where I stood, as if gauging whether or not I might attack. Eventually he made a decision and shyly scuttled closer, handing me the shoes but avoiding eye contact at all cost.

"I um… I'm sorry if I hurt you." I waited but he said nothing, just stood there staring at his feet. "I didn't mean to, not really. I honestly thought you were Jareth playing some kind of trick on me. Are you hurt much?"

"goblin king says dewy not to talk to miss…" he answered quietly, eyes darting side to side as if someone may be watching.

"Is that your name? Dewy?" he shook his head up and down so vigorously his floppy ears bounced around making me suppress a giggle "That's a cute name. Mine's June" I held out my hand to shake.

"not my place to say the miss' name, king be right mad if dewy talks to miss…maybe kill dewy if he say miss' name!"

"If that so-called King lays one finger on your head Dewy, so help me, I'll make sure those wrists of his are never able to flip those damn crystals around ever again." I reassured Dewy and patted his head, which he seemed to like.

"**Is that so? I wonder how exactly you plan to subdue me, let alone render my wrists useless. And you-**"he sternly pointed a gloved finger at Dewy and the poor little goblin nearly fainted before scurrying off unnaturally fast. **"I'll have your tongue if I catch you with your mouth open again!" **I hurried to my feet and stared defiantly at the 'man' before me.

"Stop abusing him! I nearly bludgeoned him to death the other night because of you as it is, poor Dewy." I frowned, staring in the general direction the little goblin ran off to.

"**_Dewy_**" he spat incredulously

"Yes, Dewy. He's your goblin and you don't even know his name!? Some King you are."

"**If I were you-"**

"You'd be of sound mind and have actual morals. Oh and not KIDNAP me!" I crossed my arms, cocked a hip and raised an eyebrow.

"**If I were you…**" he slowly stalked towards me like a jungle cat and I found myself nearly trembling. It was abnormal the way he moved, too fluid and animalistic. My hands found the wall behind me moments before my back smacked into it, I hadn't even realized I'd been backing up until that moment. "**I'd bite my tongue…**" his hands were on either side of my head and he brought his face so close I could smell a spicy sweetness on his breath. "**before someone-**" he leaned a fraction closer "**bites**" closer"**it**" even closer "**for you**" the last words were barely a whisper and I could feel a tingle on my mouth, almost imagining his lips on mine. My breath was coming out in ragged spurts and I could swear his breathing had picked up too.

I was rendered speechless, stuck between a wall and an insane, yet admittedly gorgeous, nonhuman …King thing… in front of me. Thankfully, that thought brought me out of my stupor, at least for the moment.

"What are you anyway?" that seemed to surprise him but he only moved his head back enough to stare into my eyes a little too intensely for my liking. I squirmed under his gaze, nowhere to go and not much room to lower my head without smacking into his.

"**I'm the Goblin King, of course.**" He simply stated

"No, I mean…well you're clearly not a goblin and most definitely _not_ human. So, what does that leave?"

"**I'm Fae, the genus doesn't really matter to you**" he seemed irritated that I'd interrupted whatever was happening or not happening a second ago.

"Fae… like, fair folk…as in a fairy…Ha, so you're essentially Tinker Bell!?" I very nearly snorted at the image of the mighty Goblin King flitting around sprinkling fairy dust here and there. He just cocked an eyebrow in question.

"**I don't believe I know any ****_Tinker Bell_****, but I've seen the way your world tends to personify the Fae and I can assure you, whatever you're thinking, you have the wrong idea.**" He leaned away and pinched the bridge of his nose in what appeared to be exasperation. Finally I felt able to regain a little of my composure. As I straightened myself and my clothes he eyed me up and down, taking in my most likely disheveled appearance. My hair was probably a mess, it waved it's was down my back and I had no way of taming It without a brush or hair band of some sort, and my clothes left something to be desired. I still wore the pair of wrinkly jeans I fished off the floor and in my panic I didn't have time to change out of my tiny grey t-shirt or even put on a bra. I watched as Jareth's eyes lingered on the small strip of stomach that peeked out before resting on my breasts. I was suddenly very thankful that I was in shape and that, even with larger breasts, I was young enough for them to be plump and perky.

_Lord, I shouldn't care what this man…Fae… thinks about me or my appearance_!

Yet still, I felt very uncomfortable standing there with him eyeing me like that, he was completely stone faced so there was no real way to tell if he were enjoying the view or completely disgusted.

"**What are you wearing?**"

_Self conscious level turned up to 11_

"Uh, well-" I fiddled with my shirt, trying to cover the strip of my abdomen revealed but only succeeded in making it tighter against my chest before it slipped out of my hands and sprung up momentarily to show nearly my entire stomach. My face felt hot and I could see Jareth suppressing a smirk at the corner of his mouth. "I WAS ABDUCTED! I didn't exactly have time to pick out an outfit or anything, I'm lucky Dewy brought my shoes or I'd still me barefoot. Which reminds me-" I marched over to him and poked him in the chest while I talked. _Wow, his chest is rock hard…_ "You are a royal asshole and you better tell me why the hell I'm here! Actually, no, I don't care what you have to say, just take me home right fucking now." My finger was still pressed against his chest as I stared daggers into his eyes.

He raised both eyebrows and looked down at my hand, amused.

"**Though I'll admit that I have never come across someone foolish enough to wish their own self away, the majority of the rules still apply… with a few additions.**"

"So, you're going to turn me into a goblin?" I gulped

"**I prefer not, seems such a waste.**" He ran a finger through my hair and played with it idly while he continued. "**However, that's going to rest solely on your ability to solve my Labyrinth.**" He gestured grandly towards the huge maze behind me, I watched as a pair of doors I could swear hadn't been there before swung open. I quickly turned to object but he beat me to it "**You have 13 hours, June. No more, no less, do you understand?**" he seemed too serious, almost frighteningly so.

"13 hours? To solve that!?" I turned and stared at the task before me. "This is ridiculous, I don't understand any of this Jareth-" but instead of the Goblin King I was met with the sight of a rather large grandfather clock and 13 hours already ticking away.

There was no point pouting, I'd just lose precious time, so I heaved a sigh and made my way through the large wooden doors which quickly and quietly sealed themselves behind me.

_No turning back… as if I even could_

"Okay…left or right, June…left or right." There was no way to tell which direction I should go, they both seemed to go on forever. "Eenie" _left _ "Meenie" _right _" Miney" _left _" Mo…Right it is." I walked at first but grew more impatient with every step. "How can it be a Labyrinth if there aren't any turns?" I huffed under my breath as I began to jog. Finally I stopped as an idea struck; I'd seen some ivy and pretty thick branch-like vines periodically and wondered to myself for a moment before backing up a few yards to the last one I'd passed. Tugging on it heavily a few times I figured it was worth a try and gripped high, pulling myself up enough to get a little hold with my feet against the wall. The vine was sturdy enough to get me to the top and I took a second to get my balance before standing upright. From here I could see the castle, far into the distance but I'd gained a little hope… maybe I could scale the walls all the way to the center? Or at least long enough to make a little headway before Jareth put a stop to it.

_He never said it was against the rules, never even said there _were_ rules in the first place so he can suck it!_

I walked along the wall for a while until I spotted some more vine clusters on the next wall and braced myself for the jump down; it was pretty high but it wouldn't be too bad a fall if I lowered myself as much as possible first. Hanging from the edge of the wall I breathed for a moment and braced myself before letting go. I hit the stone ground with a thunk and skidded back a bit, nearly falling onto my butt.

_Easy enough_

I brushed myself off and made my way to the next set of vines.

I did this for a few rows, covering a pretty decent distance, before I hit an area where I couldn't see anymore vines. I stood on top of the wall contemplating for a moment. "Okay… okay I can still work with this… I'll just walk along the edge so I can see where I'm going. That way I won't make any wrong turns!" Proud of myself, I took a few steps until quite suddenly the wall literally disappeared under my feet and I fell painfully to the ground below. My head hit with such force I thought I heard the sound of it bouncing off the floor echo, or maybe my ears were just ringing. The world seemed hazy around the edges and I spent at least three minutes writhing in pain, unsure of which part of my body to clutch, everything seemed to hurt. I was certainly going to have some bruises.

**"Cheaters never prosper"** sounded a disembodied voice

Finally I sucked it up enough to speak

"Yeah well it's not cheating if you don't know the rules. And besides, you know how the rest of that saying goes, right?" nothing but silence as I picked myself up and brushed off some dust. "They always win. Dick."


	8. Chapter 7

**I want to apologize for taking so long to get this chapter up. You have all been so kind and patient, I hope you can forgive me. Unfortunately there have been some health/family issues that have popped up so updates will not be regular for some time. I'm still doing my best to write when I can though, so I hope you'll stick with me. I know it's not fair to you all :( but thank you so much for understanding!**

Don't own Labyrinth and it's characters, only my OC's

It felt as though I was making no progress, I had no way of telling whether or not I was even heading towards the castle or away from it. Though the bareness of the stone walls had let up a bit and there seemed to be ivy and moss growing freely. I hoped that was a good sign but, despite desperately wanting to scale the wall and gather my position, I kept walking, still sore from Jareth more or less pulling the rug from under my feet; silently debating which turn to make. I'd had to back track a few times already after hitting a some dead ends, and what with the walls changing I couldn't even tell if I were heading to the same damn dead ends that I'd hit before. For all I knew I could have been going in a circle and running into the same one over and over. The thought made me nauseous.

Lost in thought, I hadn't noticed I'd travelled past the stone walls and into an area where they'd been replaced by huge, tall, and outrageously full shrubbery. _I wonder if anyone's noticed I'm gone yet? It's only been a few hours I think…then again this place is so strange and different, maybe time moves differently too. Maybe I've only been gone a few seconds! …_

_What if it's been years?_

_No. No. I can't think like that. There's no way that could be possible…I-I'm sure of it._

Asoft sort of growl caught my attention and I stopped to take in my surroundings. Then it came again, a strange little gurgle almost. _A goblin maybe? Or something much worse…_

It sounded like it was coming from above me, maybe on the other side of the wall. I crept down the path between the walls, body slightly crouched and stiffened, unsure of what to expect. I peaked around the corner and was struck with a sudden doubt of whether or not I should fear what I was seeing. Clearly they were supposed to be some sort of soldiers but they were so small, and they're armor hung off them in a way that made me think of a child dressing up in their parents clothes. Everything just seems slightly oversized, including their helmets, I wondered if they could even see. What was even more comical was the weapons they had, if it could even be called that. Each tiny warrior held an oversized staff with a funny, albeit creepy, naked creature clutching the top. They'd be harmless I was sure, if not for their needle like teeth. I made a mental note to stay as far away from the sticks as possible, I'd need stitches for sure or lose a finger to one of those things.

There were five goblin warriors in total, standing in an open around a large, gnarled tree. The tree itself was massive and looked easy enough to climb what with all the twisted branches that hung low enough to reach, well for me anyway, perhaps not the little goblins. They were going on about something but I couldn't understand a thing of what they said, I'd been wondering if they would be friendly or if I could get to the tree without raising their suspicion, but really it seemed unlikely. As quietly as humanly possibly I crouched and edged around the shrub wall a bit more, trying to get an idea of my surroundings. The open was rather large, mostly dirt ground with some old worn stones embedded here and there. Further away there was a massive, round stone door that appeared as if it hadn't moved in centuries; vines had slithered their way up the front and sides of the enclosure and I wondered what magnificent things must be in the ancient looking structure. There was no time for exploring though, even if the door looked somewhat moveable, so I scanned the rest of the opening and saw that it curved around, no doubt leading to more Labyrinth.

I'd weighed my options long enough, but just as I decided to make a run for the tree (thinking that I could hop over the wall from the tree if the guards surrounded the trunk) the goblins argument took a turn for the worst as one of them lost their temper. With a fit of feet stamping and a shriek, one swung his staff and caught another right in the head with a loud CONK. That seemed to send the rest off and before I knew it they were running around, swinging sticks at one another in such a way that had me nearly on the ground laughing. It was almost adorable if not for the moments when the creatures on the sticks chomped onto armor. That was awful to watch.

_Now, while they're not paying attention!_

I dashed for the tree and scurried up into the cover of the leaves, adrenaline pumping, holding my breath and hoping they didn't see me. As luck would have it, I was in the clear. I climbed up a bit more and peered out across the wall _I'm closer! Thank the Lord, I'm closer! _I still had a ways to go but seeing that castle so closely made me sigh in relief and think, for a moment, that maybe it was possible. _Maybe I can beat it. _Maybe I can beat** him**.

A wicked smile broadened and I just couldn't help myself…

"Piece of cake Goblin King, I'm gonna have time to spare." Gloating really didn't suit me and just as I said the words, I regretted it. The ground shook and I fell, catching myself a few branches lower and clinging for dear life. I wasn't shrouded by the leaves now but the goblin guards didn't seem to notice me. They had all stopped dead in their tracks, staring toward the large door I'd noted earlier. Stone scraped against stone and I watched, only slightly aware the guards began to back away from the opening slowly.

Silence. Deafening silence as every living thing in the vicinity seemed to hold their breath, waiting for whatever was behind that door.

After what seemed like minutes I began to relax and let out the air I'd sucked in and held so tightly moments ago "Ha, if you think I'm going in _there _you are sorely mistaken, Mister." I whispered with relief but was stopped short when a terrifying rumble broke out into a bellow of which the likes I'd never heard before. The ground shook again, earth and stone crunched beneath something massive. Step by step by step until there it was; a colossal form of muscles and fur and skin. I could see the each sinew as it stretched, a steaming mist as it snorted, I could hear the heavy clunking as its hoofed feet stepped forward.

"A fucking _Minotaur_, you have got to be shitting me!" I huffed quietly. Only, not quietly enough, because the Minotaur's head whipped towards me and I could see every muscle tense in slow motion as it began to lunge for the tree… no, for me!

I scrambled back up the tree and threw myself at the wall, praying that I'd make the jump.

CRACK!

Branches snapped behind me as the beasts body collided with the tree and, if there had been any doubt in my mind before, I knew it was truly trying to kill me. With no thought of the rough landing, I threw myself off the wall and to the other side. I could already hear the monster scrambling to follow. The landing hurt, badly, but I couldn't let myself feel the pain. I braced with my arms, dug my shoes into the dirty stone floor and heaved myself up and into a run. The ground shook horribly as the Minotaur crashed over the wall, his throat let out a roar and he was up and following me in seconds.

I ducked and dodged around a corner with no time to spare, the Minotaur's body slammed into the wall behind me as his hooves scrambled to get decent footing on the stone beneath him.

_Corners! At least…I have…corners_…

My lungs burned from exertion and fear, I could hardly hear myself think over the sound of my heart thumping. I could swear it moved into my throat at some point. But I spotted another corner coming up.

A huge SWOOSH of air sent my hair flying around my face as the Minotaur swiped a greedy hand at the back of my head, barely missing.

_Please don't be a dead end, please please please!_

I dove around the next corner, taking it a bit too fast and tripping. I took to my feet and tore off again, not chancing a look back. He was still there, certainly closer before, I could feel the heat from its dirty breath on my back.

"Jareth!" another corner "Jareth you bastard!" A dead end!? No, no a straightaway, time moved so fast and slow all at once. The distance to the next turn seemed too far, I'd never make it. "It's going to kill me!" I screamed, struggle and panic lacing every word.

I leapt over a long-fallen, crumbling stone column and thanked God silently that I hadn't tripped. The beast at my back wasn't so lucky and got tangled by his own feet for a minute, giving me a bit of a gap. "Jareth, please, PLEASE!"

**"I think I rather like hearing you scream that."** His voice rang out but I doubted he were actually there. Somehow he didn't seem like the type to get his hands dirty.

"Damn it, Jareth, stop the games! Help me!" Surely I sounded pitiful enough, didn't even have to fake it, for him to help me.

**"You brought this on yourself! First you ****_cheat _****and then you ****_insulted_**** my Labyrinth, after I'd been so kind and gone so easy on you. But no more little human, I have been generous up 'till now…you are on your own." **He practically snarled.

Had I really hurt his feelings so much that he'd let me be mortally wounded!? What had I even been thinking egging him on like that, somehow I'd let myself believe that maybe he had a soft side…for me…

"Jareth, I'm-" a huge stone crashed onto the ground beside me, showering me with stone shards that left me with blood droplets forming in more than a few places. I stumbled for a second and saw the Minotaur a ways behind, picking up another chunk of stone from a piece of the wall he'd destroyed, readying to release it at me. I yelped and ducked as it rocketed for my head, then jumped to me feet before he could throw another. "I'm sorry! You hear me, I was stupid, a stupid human, just please Jareth, please STOP!" Just then a corner appeared in the straightway and I gladly took it, beast still far too close on my heels. Wind after wind in the Labyrinth came, making it rough for the monster to follow. Soon it opened into a wide space with two doors and some rather odd looking goblins. I listened closely, the Minotaur couldn't be far behind as he pummeled his way nearer. I tuned in to the goblins speech a little too late

"-and one leads to the castle." I looked back, feeling the ground shake the closer the beast got. "-he always lies!"

"Does not!" the Goblin from the other door yelled back.

"There is a giant monster chasing me, which door leads to the castle" Silence from the both…or four…whatever. Surely they could hear the creature getting closer. "Please, before we all die!"

**"That one!"** All four said in unison.

_Right then, just pick!_

I ran to the door on the right and shoved it open, maybe the Minotaur wouldn't follow? I slammed it shut and leaned my back against it, hoping to catch my breath for a split second. Silence settled over me, no sign the monster was still there. I waited…and waited…but nothing came to eat me. I heaved a huge sigh of relief and let myself fall to the ground, nearly in tears as the adrenalin made my body shake in waves.

"Th-Thank you, Jareth." I smiled lightly

And then…then the ground opened up and swallowed me.


	9. Important!

**I'm working on Chapter 8 right now and was hoping to get some input from you wonderful readers! **

**I'd like to know what you'd like to see more or less of in the chapters to come. **

**Should I be adding more naughty bits in there (though I'd planned to put some in eventually anyway there hasn't really been much of anything yet) should I get explicit about it like rated R or X or just leave it at a sort of PG13 level? I have no idea! _ **

**Would you like to see more of any specific character and if so are there any particular settings or circumstances you have in mind? **

**etc. etc. etc.**

**I'd also like to get an idea of what you guys think of the story and where it's headed so far. I'm still going to toy around with chapter 8 but I'd like to hear back from you guys before I publish it, that way I can change some things accordingly, seeing as I have a few bits written that I'm just unsure about... (I swear I'm not holding the next chapter hostage, it will be published eventually whether or not I get the feedback I'm looking for, it just may take some time without said feedback. Working the kinks out takes time, especially without help :p )**

**Thank you all for your continued support, you are amazing as always! :D**


	10. Chapter 8

**I want to apologize for the obscenely short chapter but I had a lot of issues writing this one, there was much more to it buuut I erased it in a fit of exasperation and disgust. Trust me, it was a good decision. Anyway, I felt bad leaving you all hanging...even though I'm doing it again... but at least it's more of the story and a HUGE revelation that you were all probably expecting anyway. Oh and fear not Auctavia, Jareth will be making an appearance in the** next** chapter. And thank you thank you for the review. I'll keep everything you said in mind for future chapters :)**

A scream should have ripped through me but all the air seemed to have left my body with the sudden descent. I flailed my arms about desperately trying to grasp for something, anything that would prevent me from falling to my death. _And just after I survived the Minotaur, that evil prick is going to finish me off like this…_ In the whole of a few seconds a thousand thoughts ran through my mind, there was no way out of this, I was going to die. _At least I won't turn into a goblin. I wonder if_ _Jareth will be upset by my death even a little…_

But then a hand grasped my wrist, in a near painful grip, and another began to grip me around the waist in an odd but life-saving-heavenly way, I couldn't help the flutter in my chest (mostly because I wasn't going to die) and the smile that stretched broadly and uncontrollably over my face. I was sure I looked positively mad in that moment.

"Jareth! Oh God, I never thought I'd be so damn happy to be in your arms!" I laughed manically.

But then another hand slid around my ankle, another clenched my shoulder, sides, arms, every part of my body was being grabbed and groped and I choked out some unintelligible sound that was laced with a sickening fear. "Ah, let go! Let me go!" I thrashed as best I could, which was practically not at all; words muffled by a hand that grasped the bottom of my jaw.

_"Let go?" _I was falling again momentarily, screaming bloody murder, before being snatched back into the grip of all those creepy hands. A voice sounded uncomfortably close to my ear, only it wasn't just a voice, it was as if it were multiple voices in one; a strange sensation to hear out of one mouth. Or at least I assumed it was one mouth, it was so dark I could hardly discern my hand let alone the dozen or so that were no doubt leaving indentations with their fingers digging in like that. _"But we're helping hands."_ It said tauntingly.

"_Helping_ hands!? But your- OOF- hurting me!" They shifted me in their grasp, knocking me in the stomach in the process. "Ouch, watch it will ya!?"

"_Well, which way? Come on then, we haven't got all day."_

"Which way!? UP, definitelyup, there's just something, oh I don't know, utterly terrifying about falling down a deep, dark pit."

_"Down? You heard her boys… down she goes!" _I was plummeting to my death again.

"Wait…WAIT! I said _up_ damnit! UP!" but it was too late, I could hear their snickering for a split second before crashing to the hard ground; the edges of my consciousness blurring; dream world drawing ever closer.

_Dead, I'm dead. Somehow I thought death would be more bright lights and warm, glowy feelings…_

Darkness surrounded me like a blanket of snow; it was nearly as cold too. But a glimmer in the distance caught my attention and before I knew it I was drifting towards it, a strange tingle in the back of my mind. The glimmer danced and dazzled as I got closer, a crystal that moved so fluidly that I was surprised it wasn't waving around Jareth's hands. I reached out to touch it, sure I was so close, but my hand met nothing but air. The crystal grew nearer and nearer, it's size increasing all the while. Suddenly I was presented with something all too familiar; a huge crystal orb glowing eerily like a scene from my dreams.

A light chiming of music floated around me as an image formed in the hazy glass. A girl, a girl that seemed so familiar to me, and oh how she danced, completely in rapture of the tempting devil before her. That face I knew too well, Jareth. A pang of jealousy shot through me and I had to scoff at myself. "I_'_m not the first and I won't be the last." I'd meant for it to be a mere observation but it came out in a much more miserable tone than I'd intended.

_"June?"_ The girl tore away from the scene around her; the bottom of her poofy whit_e_ dress gathered in one hand as she ran towards me, panic written all over her face. "_June, run sweetheart, run!"_

_That voice, why do I know that voice…_

I began to back away, head violently shaking back and forth as if to say what my mouth could not, 'No'. Something was terribly wrong; I couldn't escape that face, that voice. I felt sick, this must be a trick, a dream. A dream!

I coughed and choked, gasping through the pain and squinting at the dark room I now lay, most certainly very injured, in while a dim light shone from above where I must have fallen from. It did very little to light the rest of the room. I knew I should get up, grit through the pain and get my bearings but lying there in that dark room, my mother's face still lingering in my mind, things began to click into place; things long forgotten brushed off the cobwebs and rushed to the forefront of my mind.

Suddenly I could recall the stories my mother told me as a small child. Stories of a great battle with an evil King who would lock her away forever and transform her brother into a hideous creature, stories where she fought her way, through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered…

I remembered her mantra…

"You have no power over me" I breathed out, barely a whisper, and prayed for the world to fall away.


	11. Apologies

I want to apologize for going so long without posting a chapter. Unfortunately I've had some bad news, followed by emergency surgery and have been/will be out of commission for a while. The down time should really be perfect for writing but to be completely honest, after everything, I've been a bit down and just can't seem to find the inspiration/desire to write anything. I am so, so sorry. You have all been so great following and favoriting my story, it means the world to me! I WILL come back to this, just need a little time, I hope you all can understand. Thank you so much for supporting my story, I hope you all stick around for when I finally get another chapter up. I'm sorry I can't say for sure when that will be.

3


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